Alexander Schakowski
@alexschakowski.bsky.social
Predoctoral Fellow at MPI for Human Development, Berlin. Interested in human foraging, social decision-making, and collective intelligence.
Pinned
youtu.be
What is driving social foraging dynamics in the wild? In a new pre-print, we investigate decision-making mechanisms in large groups of Finnish ice-fishers competing for resources: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Big thanks to drone pilot Félicie Dhellemmes.
1/n
youtu.be/I_RH2diXcAk
Big thanks to drone pilot Félicie Dhellemmes.
1/n
youtu.be/I_RH2diXcAk
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Dr. Ralf Kurvers, from the MPI of Human Development & TU, Berlin!
His work explores how individuals process and share information, how social interactions shape group decisions, and how collective intelligence emerges across species.
Learn more about his work 👉 ralfkurvers.com
His work explores how individuals process and share information, how social interactions shape group decisions, and how collective intelligence emerges across species.
Learn more about his work 👉 ralfkurvers.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Dr. Ralf Kurvers, from the MPI of Human Development & TU, Berlin!
His work explores how individuals process and share information, how social interactions shape group decisions, and how collective intelligence emerges across species.
Learn more about his work 👉 ralfkurvers.com
His work explores how individuals process and share information, how social interactions shape group decisions, and how collective intelligence emerges across species.
Learn more about his work 👉 ralfkurvers.com
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Part of a startup project funded by Max Planck Innovation's MAX!mize program, we're developing next-generation software for automated analysis of animal social behavior. We have this opening:
Software Engineer (m/f/d) (80 - 100 %) Behavioral Analysis Platform Development
Details : lnkd.in/ewXgnBmV
Software Engineer (m/f/d) (80 - 100 %) Behavioral Analysis Platform Development
Details : lnkd.in/ewXgnBmV
November 7, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Part of a startup project funded by Max Planck Innovation's MAX!mize program, we're developing next-generation software for automated analysis of animal social behavior. We have this opening:
Software Engineer (m/f/d) (80 - 100 %) Behavioral Analysis Platform Development
Details : lnkd.in/ewXgnBmV
Software Engineer (m/f/d) (80 - 100 %) Behavioral Analysis Platform Development
Details : lnkd.in/ewXgnBmV
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
❗❗ Just a quick note: We recently discovered an issue with our email system that prevented some incoming messages from reaching us. If you’ve contacted us recently, please resend your message – we’re sorry for the inconvenience!
November 6, 2025 at 2:50 PM
❗❗ Just a quick note: We recently discovered an issue with our email system that prevented some incoming messages from reaching us. If you’ve contacted us recently, please resend your message – we’re sorry for the inconvenience!
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Just 1 week to apply! 4 year @erc.europa.eu funded PhD position working in an interdisciplinary team to study #culturalEvolution as a process of reuse, recombination, and creative re-engineering of past solutions. Details 👉 hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur... 🙏Please share!
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Just 1 week to apply! 4 year @erc.europa.eu funded PhD position working in an interdisciplinary team to study #culturalEvolution as a process of reuse, recombination, and creative re-engineering of past solutions. Details 👉 hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur... 🙏Please share!
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
This week we talk to @babeheim.bsky.social about culture, change, modeling, running red lights, and the game of go.
youtu.be/nqTkSK-qtJM
www.podbean.com/eas/pb-hrn9v...
youtu.be/nqTkSK-qtJM
www.podbean.com/eas/pb-hrn9v...
Cultural Dynamics with Bret Breheim
YouTube video by Evolutionary Psychology (The Podcast)
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
This week we talk to @babeheim.bsky.social about culture, change, modeling, running red lights, and the game of go.
youtu.be/nqTkSK-qtJM
www.podbean.com/eas/pb-hrn9v...
youtu.be/nqTkSK-qtJM
www.podbean.com/eas/pb-hrn9v...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Next up @alexschakowski.bsky.social talking about social foraging.
November 4, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Next up @alexschakowski.bsky.social talking about social foraging.
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
New paper! We found that intensifying market integration in Rep. Congo does not uniformly shape BaYaka and Bantu adolescent behaviour and consumption, and that adolescents may be contributing to shifts in norms regarding the sharing of money.
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
BaYaka forager and Bantu fisher‐farmer adolescent engagement with intensifying market integration in the Republic of the Congo
A substantial body of anthropological research has investigated how subsistence communities engage with market-based economies. In this study, we contribute to this body of work by examining adolesce...
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:21 AM
New paper! We found that intensifying market integration in Rep. Congo does not uniformly shape BaYaka and Bantu adolescent behaviour and consumption, and that adolescents may be contributing to shifts in norms regarding the sharing of money.
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs
The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
We have a new preprint: osf.io/preprints/so...
What have we learned about social media - the constantly moving target of empirical research - over the past decade?
What have we learned about social media - the constantly moving target of empirical research - over the past decade?
October 30, 2025 at 10:53 AM
We have a new preprint: osf.io/preprints/so...
What have we learned about social media - the constantly moving target of empirical research - over the past decade?
What have we learned about social media - the constantly moving target of empirical research - over the past decade?
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
TWO papers just out in @royalsocietypublishing.org #biologyletters :
1) Red kites switched from scavenging along roads to foraging away from roads during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
2) Fishers synchronise heart rates when cooperating with dolphins, but only when in close proximity.
1/
1) Red kites switched from scavenging along roads to foraging away from roads during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
2) Fishers synchronise heart rates when cooperating with dolphins, but only when in close proximity.
1/
October 29, 2025 at 4:08 AM
TWO papers just out in @royalsocietypublishing.org #biologyletters :
1) Red kites switched from scavenging along roads to foraging away from roads during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
2) Fishers synchronise heart rates when cooperating with dolphins, but only when in close proximity.
1/
1) Red kites switched from scavenging along roads to foraging away from roads during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
2) Fishers synchronise heart rates when cooperating with dolphins, but only when in close proximity.
1/
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
And paper 2 is now online: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
October 29, 2025 at 9:48 AM
And paper 2 is now online: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 New preprint 🚨
Are reinforcement learning models complete accounts of decisions from experience if they ignore explicit memory?
In this new preprint, we show that people indeed form robust explicit memory representations that flexibly guide later decisions.
🔗 Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Are reinforcement learning models complete accounts of decisions from experience if they ignore explicit memory?
In this new preprint, we show that people indeed form robust explicit memory representations that flexibly guide later decisions.
🔗 Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
October 29, 2025 at 8:24 AM
🚨 New preprint 🚨
Are reinforcement learning models complete accounts of decisions from experience if they ignore explicit memory?
In this new preprint, we show that people indeed form robust explicit memory representations that flexibly guide later decisions.
🔗 Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Are reinforcement learning models complete accounts of decisions from experience if they ignore explicit memory?
In this new preprint, we show that people indeed form robust explicit memory representations that flexibly guide later decisions.
🔗 Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Fully-funded 4-year #PhD in Cultural Evolution! Join my @erc.europa.eu project exploring how compression & compositionality drive cultural innovation: hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur...
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
ERC funded PhD position on Cultural Evolution
ERC funded PhD position on Cultural Evolution
posted on October 16, 2025
We are currently seeking a highly motivated individual for a ful...
hmc-lab.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Fully-funded 4-year #PhD in Cultural Evolution! Join my @erc.europa.eu project exploring how compression & compositionality drive cultural innovation: hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur...
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to social and collective decision making, and aging, please reach out. Deadline Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to social and collective decision making, and aging, please reach out. Deadline Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
How to Apply
www.imprs-life.mpg.de
October 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to social and collective decision making, and aging, please reach out. Deadline Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to social and collective decision making, and aging, please reach out. Deadline Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 New publication: How to improve conceptual clarity in psychological science?
Thrilled to see this article with @ruimata.bsky.social out. We discuss how LLMs can be leveraged to map, clarify, and generate psychological measures and constructs.
Open access article: doi.org/10.1177/0963...
Thrilled to see this article with @ruimata.bsky.social out. We discuss how LLMs can be leveraged to map, clarify, and generate psychological measures and constructs.
Open access article: doi.org/10.1177/0963...
October 23, 2025 at 7:27 AM
🚨 New publication: How to improve conceptual clarity in psychological science?
Thrilled to see this article with @ruimata.bsky.social out. We discuss how LLMs can be leveraged to map, clarify, and generate psychological measures and constructs.
Open access article: doi.org/10.1177/0963...
Thrilled to see this article with @ruimata.bsky.social out. We discuss how LLMs can be leveraged to map, clarify, and generate psychological measures and constructs.
Open access article: doi.org/10.1177/0963...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Which processes underlie collective intelligence in naturalistic human groups?
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
First-Person Perspective of the Voluntary Payoff-Sharing (VP) Condition
YouTube video by Valerii Chirkov
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Which processes underlie collective intelligence in naturalistic human groups?
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
In new work led by Valerii Chirkov, we show that payoff selectivity is key in transforming a group of individuals into an intelligent collective 🤝🧠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY7n...
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
Very thought-provoking post by @prakhargodara.bsky.social. Is confirmation bias/positivity bias a statistical "ghost" of model specification? Specifically not including temporally decaying learning rates? The evidence suggests this is not the case and here is why (1/n)
Is confirmation bias a real cognitive flaw, or a statistical ghost created by our models? My new PNAS paper shows a startling result: fitting Q-learning models to behavior in bandit tasks detect a bias, even from the behavior of a perfectly rational Bayesian learner.
October 19, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Very thought-provoking post by @prakhargodara.bsky.social. Is confirmation bias/positivity bias a statistical "ghost" of model specification? Specifically not including temporally decaying learning rates? The evidence suggests this is not the case and here is why (1/n)
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 New preprint: What does the research landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning look like 🌍?
We developed an LLM-powered bibliometric analysis to characterize article clusters, investigate their connections, and examine the distribution of topics across the landscape.
osf.io/6c2va_v1
We developed an LLM-powered bibliometric analysis to characterize article clusters, investigate their connections, and examine the distribution of topics across the landscape.
osf.io/6c2va_v1
OSF
osf.io
October 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
🚨 New preprint: What does the research landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning look like 🌍?
We developed an LLM-powered bibliometric analysis to characterize article clusters, investigate their connections, and examine the distribution of topics across the landscape.
osf.io/6c2va_v1
We developed an LLM-powered bibliometric analysis to characterize article clusters, investigate their connections, and examine the distribution of topics across the landscape.
osf.io/6c2va_v1
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 New preprint and online tool 🚨
Thrilled to share new work, mapping the 🗺️ landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning using an 🤖 LLM-powered bibliometric approach.
We built an online tool so you can explore the landscape yourself.
Online tool: mpib.berlin/vFVqU
Preprint: osf.io/6c2va_v1
Thrilled to share new work, mapping the 🗺️ landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning using an 🤖 LLM-powered bibliometric approach.
We built an online tool so you can explore the landscape yourself.
Online tool: mpib.berlin/vFVqU
Preprint: osf.io/6c2va_v1
October 17, 2025 at 7:59 AM
🚨 New preprint and online tool 🚨
Thrilled to share new work, mapping the 🗺️ landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning using an 🤖 LLM-powered bibliometric approach.
We built an online tool so you can explore the landscape yourself.
Online tool: mpib.berlin/vFVqU
Preprint: osf.io/6c2va_v1
Thrilled to share new work, mapping the 🗺️ landscape of behavioral reinforcement learning using an 🤖 LLM-powered bibliometric approach.
We built an online tool so you can explore the landscape yourself.
Online tool: mpib.berlin/vFVqU
Preprint: osf.io/6c2va_v1
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
How do humans keep inventing tools and technologies that no single person could create alone?
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
October 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
How do humans keep inventing tools and technologies that no single person could create alone?
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Our new preprint, led by
@anilyaman.bsky.social & @ts-brain.bsky.social
shows that semantic knowledge guides innovation and drives cultural evolution. 🧠📘 arxiv.org/abs/2510.12837
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 New preprint 🚨
Analyzing the academic trajectories of 78,216 psychology researchers, we demonstrate a persistent gender attrition gap, with women psychologists dropping out of academia at consistently higher rates than men psychologists.
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13273
Analyzing the academic trajectories of 78,216 psychology researchers, we demonstrate a persistent gender attrition gap, with women psychologists dropping out of academia at consistently higher rates than men psychologists.
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13273
October 16, 2025 at 9:38 AM
🚨 New preprint 🚨
Analyzing the academic trajectories of 78,216 psychology researchers, we demonstrate a persistent gender attrition gap, with women psychologists dropping out of academia at consistently higher rates than men psychologists.
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13273
Analyzing the academic trajectories of 78,216 psychology researchers, we demonstrate a persistent gender attrition gap, with women psychologists dropping out of academia at consistently higher rates than men psychologists.
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13273
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
🚨 Doctoral positions 🚨
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to large language models, semantic networks, and aging, please reach out!
Apply by Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to large language models, semantic networks, and aging, please reach out!
Apply by Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
October 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
🚨 Doctoral positions 🚨
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to large language models, semantic networks, and aging, please reach out!
Apply by Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
The IMPRS LIFE is looking to fill up to three PhD positions.
If you’re interested in working at @arc-mpib.bsky.social with me on topics related to large language models, semantic networks, and aging, please reach out!
Apply by Nov 30: www.imprs-life.mpg.de/11840/how-to...
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
And huge thanks again both RIKEN CBS-Toyota Collaboration Center (btcc.riken.jp/en/) and @eslr.bsky.social for your generous support! And thanks a lot @tatsushi-usui.bsky.social for the stunning logo design and local organisations!
October 7, 2025 at 5:58 AM
And huge thanks again both RIKEN CBS-Toyota Collaboration Center (btcc.riken.jp/en/) and @eslr.bsky.social for your generous support! And thanks a lot @tatsushi-usui.bsky.social for the stunning logo design and local organisations!
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
📢🚀 Are you an early-career researcher working on anything related to culture, behaviour or learning? 🧠🌍 Join ESLR, an interdisciplinary research community! We have a NEW website and our membership is now FREE. 👉 Sign up here to get updates and become a member: www.eslrsociety.com/membership
ESLR | Membership
www.eslrsociety.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:43 AM
📢🚀 Are you an early-career researcher working on anything related to culture, behaviour or learning? 🧠🌍 Join ESLR, an interdisciplinary research community! We have a NEW website and our membership is now FREE. 👉 Sign up here to get updates and become a member: www.eslrsociety.com/membership
Reposted by Alexander Schakowski
😍 Our latest is out now in @commspsychol.nature.com. 🤩 We show with Bayesian modelling and experimental manipulation of uncertainty that developmental differences in social influence depend on differences in the internal uncertainty people have about their choice
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
Internal uncertainty impacts social information use in risky choice across adolescence - Communications Psychology
Adolescents’ choices are influenced by others. A social risky choice experiment and Bayesian modelling reveal that age differences in internal uncertainty, being unsure how to choose, relate to differences in susceptibility to social influence.
doi.org
September 29, 2025 at 9:07 AM
😍 Our latest is out now in @commspsychol.nature.com. 🤩 We show with Bayesian modelling and experimental manipulation of uncertainty that developmental differences in social influence depend on differences in the internal uncertainty people have about their choice
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
doi.org/10.1038/s442...