Elizabeth Jiwon Im
@imelizabeth.bsky.social
🌲 PhD student at Stanford
🧠 Intersection of developing brain, visual experience, and computational models
🐦 Johns Hopkins alum
imelizabeth.github.io
🧠 Intersection of developing brain, visual experience, and computational models
🐦 Johns Hopkins alum
imelizabeth.github.io
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/
AI Surrogates and illusions of generalizability in cognitive science
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated enthusiasm for using AI simulations of human research participants to generate new know…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
We’re recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join our team! 🎉
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
The Visual Learning Lab at UC San Diego is looking for a postdoctoral research fellow to join our lab!
Read more about our lab at www.vislearnlab.org
Read more about our lab at www.vislearnlab.org
Home | The Visual Learning Lab at UCSD
Lab webpage for the Visual Learning Lab at UCSD, lead by Dr. Bria Long, Ph.D. Launching in July 2024!
www.vislearnlab.org
October 7, 2025 at 2:39 AM
We’re recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join our team! 🎉
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
I’m happy to share that I’ve opened back up the search for this position (it was temporarily closed due to funding uncertainty).
See lab page and doc below for details!
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Ever wonder how habituation works? Here's our attempt to understand:
A stimulus-computable rational model of visual habituation in infants and adults doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the thesis of two wonderful students: @anjiecao.bsky.social @galraz.bsky.social, w/ @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
A stimulus-computable rational model of visual habituation in infants and adults doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the thesis of two wonderful students: @anjiecao.bsky.social @galraz.bsky.social, w/ @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Ever wonder how habituation works? Here's our attempt to understand:
A stimulus-computable rational model of visual habituation in infants and adults doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the thesis of two wonderful students: @anjiecao.bsky.social @galraz.bsky.social, w/ @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
A stimulus-computable rational model of visual habituation in infants and adults doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
This is the thesis of two wonderful students: @anjiecao.bsky.social @galraz.bsky.social, w/ @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
🚨New paper out w/ @gershbrain.bsky.social & @fierycushman.bsky.social from my time @Harvard!
Humans are capable of sophisticated theory of mind, but when do we use it?
We formalize & document a new cognitive shortcut: belief neglect — inferring others' preferences, as if their beliefs are correct🧵
Humans are capable of sophisticated theory of mind, but when do we use it?
We formalize & document a new cognitive shortcut: belief neglect — inferring others' preferences, as if their beliefs are correct🧵
September 17, 2025 at 12:58 AM
🚨New paper out w/ @gershbrain.bsky.social & @fierycushman.bsky.social from my time @Harvard!
Humans are capable of sophisticated theory of mind, but when do we use it?
We formalize & document a new cognitive shortcut: belief neglect — inferring others' preferences, as if their beliefs are correct🧵
Humans are capable of sophisticated theory of mind, but when do we use it?
We formalize & document a new cognitive shortcut: belief neglect — inferring others' preferences, as if their beliefs are correct🧵
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
*Sharing for our department’s trainees*
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
September 2, 2025 at 8:01 PM
*Sharing for our department’s trainees*
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology?
✨ Apply by Sep 25th to Stanford Psychology's 9th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info-session/workshop to have all of your questions answered!
📝 Application: tinyurl.com/pathstophd2025
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
New Open dataset alert:
🧠 Introducing "Spacetop" – a massive multimodal fMRI dataset that bridges naturalistic and experimental neuroscience!
N = 101 x 6 hours each = 606 functional iso-hours combining movies, pain, faces, theory-of-mind and other cognitive tasks!
🧵below
🧠 Introducing "Spacetop" – a massive multimodal fMRI dataset that bridges naturalistic and experimental neuroscience!
N = 101 x 6 hours each = 606 functional iso-hours combining movies, pain, faces, theory-of-mind and other cognitive tasks!
🧵below
September 4, 2025 at 7:21 PM
New Open dataset alert:
🧠 Introducing "Spacetop" – a massive multimodal fMRI dataset that bridges naturalistic and experimental neuroscience!
N = 101 x 6 hours each = 606 functional iso-hours combining movies, pain, faces, theory-of-mind and other cognitive tasks!
🧵below
🧠 Introducing "Spacetop" – a massive multimodal fMRI dataset that bridges naturalistic and experimental neuroscience!
N = 101 x 6 hours each = 606 functional iso-hours combining movies, pain, faces, theory-of-mind and other cognitive tasks!
🧵below
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
🚨New preprint with my stellar student Junsong
A Small-World Mind Theory of social cognition doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Big network, close connection🤯
It explains why low-dimensional findings dominate & high-dimensional evidence emerges
Naturalistic designs matter to understanding the complex mind
A Small-World Mind Theory of social cognition doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Big network, close connection🤯
It explains why low-dimensional findings dominate & high-dimensional evidence emerges
Naturalistic designs matter to understanding the complex mind
OSF
doi.org
September 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
🚨New preprint with my stellar student Junsong
A Small-World Mind Theory of social cognition doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Big network, close connection🤯
It explains why low-dimensional findings dominate & high-dimensional evidence emerges
Naturalistic designs matter to understanding the complex mind
A Small-World Mind Theory of social cognition doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Big network, close connection🤯
It explains why low-dimensional findings dominate & high-dimensional evidence emerges
Naturalistic designs matter to understanding the complex mind
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Can self supervised learning help understand how the brain learns to see the world?
Our latest study, led by Josephine Raugel (FAIR, ENS), is now out:
📄 arxiv.org/pdf/2508.18226
🧵 thread below
Our latest study, led by Josephine Raugel (FAIR, ENS), is now out:
📄 arxiv.org/pdf/2508.18226
🧵 thread below
September 3, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Can self supervised learning help understand how the brain learns to see the world?
Our latest study, led by Josephine Raugel (FAIR, ENS), is now out:
📄 arxiv.org/pdf/2508.18226
🧵 thread below
Our latest study, led by Josephine Raugel (FAIR, ENS), is now out:
📄 arxiv.org/pdf/2508.18226
🧵 thread below
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
❗New Paper Alert ❗
We found some (but overall weak) evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying theory of mind inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism. #neuroskyence #autism #openaccess
@hilaryrichardson.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eBZwE
We found some (but overall weak) evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying theory of mind inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism. #neuroskyence #autism #openaccess
@hilaryrichardson.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eBZwE
Social inference brain networks in autistic adults during movie-viewing: functional specialization and heterogeneity - Molecular Autism
Background Difficulty in social inferences is a core feature in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). On the behavioral level, it remains unclear whether reasoning about others’ mental states (Theory of Mi...
link.springer.com
August 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
❗New Paper Alert ❗
We found some (but overall weak) evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying theory of mind inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism. #neuroskyence #autism #openaccess
@hilaryrichardson.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eBZwE
We found some (but overall weak) evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying theory of mind inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism. #neuroskyence #autism #openaccess
@hilaryrichardson.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eBZwE
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Two new preprints from our lab!
@sabinemuzellec.bsky.social leads work on reverse(Brain➡ ANN) predictivity showing gaps in forward(ANN ➡ Brain) metrics shorturl.at/bnoFl
@marenwehrheim.bsky.social leads work on facial expression emerging from shared not segregated neural subspaces. shorturl.at/QAIl4
@sabinemuzellec.bsky.social leads work on reverse(Brain➡ ANN) predictivity showing gaps in forward(ANN ➡ Brain) metrics shorturl.at/bnoFl
@marenwehrheim.bsky.social leads work on facial expression emerging from shared not segregated neural subspaces. shorturl.at/QAIl4
August 28, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Two new preprints from our lab!
@sabinemuzellec.bsky.social leads work on reverse(Brain➡ ANN) predictivity showing gaps in forward(ANN ➡ Brain) metrics shorturl.at/bnoFl
@marenwehrheim.bsky.social leads work on facial expression emerging from shared not segregated neural subspaces. shorturl.at/QAIl4
@sabinemuzellec.bsky.social leads work on reverse(Brain➡ ANN) predictivity showing gaps in forward(ANN ➡ Brain) metrics shorturl.at/bnoFl
@marenwehrheim.bsky.social leads work on facial expression emerging from shared not segregated neural subspaces. shorturl.at/QAIl4
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Job alert: I'm hiring a postdoc for my lab at CU Boulder starting Fall 2026!
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
Postdoctoral Associate
jobs.colorado.edu
August 28, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Job alert: I'm hiring a postdoc for my lab at CU Boulder starting Fall 2026!
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
So cool to see our project, spearheaded by Igor Bascandziev, featured in Harvard's 'Usable Knowledge'!
Nice write-up of work led by Igor Bascandziev, & with @carenwalker.bsky.social & @adani.bsky.social on a recent project from our Caplan grant.
Thought Experiments Can Enhance Science Learning!
Thanks to Jill Anderson at Usable Knowledge for the interview.
www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable...
Thought Experiments Can Enhance Science Learning!
Thanks to Jill Anderson at Usable Knowledge for the interview.
www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable...
www.gse.harvard.edu
August 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
So cool to see our project, spearheaded by Igor Bascandziev, featured in Harvard's 'Usable Knowledge'!
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
New preprint out! We propose that action is a key dimension shaping the topographic organization of object categories in lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC)—and test whether standard and topographic neural networks capture this pattern. A thread:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
Investigating action topography in visual cortex and deep artificial neural networks
High-level visual cortex contains category-selective areas embedded within larger-scale topographic maps like animacy and real-world size. Here, we propose action as a key organizing factor shaping vi...
www.biorxiv.org
August 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
New preprint out! We propose that action is a key dimension shaping the topographic organization of object categories in lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC)—and test whether standard and topographic neural networks capture this pattern. A thread:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Lazarus et al. (2025): A simple act with a lasting impact: Holding babies skin-to-skin in the NICU helped support their development and reduced differences linked to family income. Early touch can be a powerful way to promote equity from the very start #infancypapers doi.org/10.1111/infa...
doi.org
July 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Lazarus et al. (2025): A simple act with a lasting impact: Holding babies skin-to-skin in the NICU helped support their development and reduced differences linked to family income. Early touch can be a powerful way to promote equity from the very start #infancypapers doi.org/10.1111/infa...
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
next preprint is out - ever wonder why findings about VWFA differ so much? @jyeatman.bsky.social @mayayablonski.bsky.social , Mia Fuentes-Jimenez, Hannah Stone, and I might have the answer...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Visual Word Form Area demonstrates individual and task-agnostic consistency but inter-individual variability
Ventral Occipital Temporal Cortex (VOTC) is home to a mosaic of categorically-selective functional regions that respond to visual stimuli. Within left VOTC lies the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) - a te...
www.biorxiv.org
July 30, 2025 at 5:05 AM
next preprint is out - ever wonder why findings about VWFA differ so much? @jyeatman.bsky.social @mayayablonski.bsky.social , Mia Fuentes-Jimenez, Hannah Stone, and I might have the answer...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
📣 new paper! people use some categories to generalize (e.g., we generalize something we learn about one tiger 🐯 to other tigers 🐅), but not others (e.g., we don't generalize from one pedestrian 🚶 to other pedestrians 🚶♂️). how do people learn what categories allow for generalization? 🧵
July 31, 2025 at 6:10 AM
📣 new paper! people use some categories to generalize (e.g., we generalize something we learn about one tiger 🐯 to other tigers 🐅), but not others (e.g., we don't generalize from one pedestrian 🚶 to other pedestrians 🚶♂️). how do people learn what categories allow for generalization? 🧵
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Excited to share that our paper is now out in Neuron @cp-neuron.bsky.social (dlvr.it/TM9zJ8).
Our perception isn't a perfect mirror of the world. It's often biased by our expectations and beliefs. How do these biases unfold over time, and what shapes their trajectory? A summary thread. (1/13)
Our perception isn't a perfect mirror of the world. It's often biased by our expectations and beliefs. How do these biases unfold over time, and what shapes their trajectory? A summary thread. (1/13)
Attractor dynamics of working memory explain a concurrent evolution of stimulus-specific and decision-consistent biases in visual estimation
People exhibit biases when perceiving features of the world, shaped by both external
stimuli and prior decisions. By tracking behavioral, neural, and mechanistic markers
of stimulus- and decision-rela...
dlvr.it
July 29, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Excited to share that our paper is now out in Neuron @cp-neuron.bsky.social (dlvr.it/TM9zJ8).
Our perception isn't a perfect mirror of the world. It's often biased by our expectations and beliefs. How do these biases unfold over time, and what shapes their trajectory? A summary thread. (1/13)
Our perception isn't a perfect mirror of the world. It's often biased by our expectations and beliefs. How do these biases unfold over time, and what shapes their trajectory? A summary thread. (1/13)
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
We tried very hard to study language and communication during strategic games like prisoner's dilemma. Veronica Boyce did many experiments chasing what could have been an interesting result but in the end wasn't very strong. Now she's written a nice postmortem: osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
July 28, 2025 at 6:28 PM
We tried very hard to study language and communication during strategic games like prisoner's dilemma. Veronica Boyce did many experiments chasing what could have been an interesting result but in the end wasn't very strong. Now she's written a nice postmortem: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
New preprint! Led by Bill Pepe, with @brandonwoo.bsky.social and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social. We asked if infants think helping and hindering stem from actors' dispositions (i.e. good/nice v bad/mean) or their social relationships, by testing expectations for future behavior: osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
July 17, 2025 at 1:29 PM
New preprint! Led by Bill Pepe, with @brandonwoo.bsky.social and @ashleyjthomas.bsky.social. We asked if infants think helping and hindering stem from actors' dispositions (i.e. good/nice v bad/mean) or their social relationships, by testing expectations for future behavior: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
🚨New paper! We know models learn distinct in-context learning strategies, but *why*? Why generalize instead of memorize to lower loss? And why is generalization transient?
Our work explains this & *predicts Transformer behavior throughout training* without its weights! 🧵
1/
Our work explains this & *predicts Transformer behavior throughout training* without its weights! 🧵
1/
June 28, 2025 at 2:35 AM
🚨New paper! We know models learn distinct in-context learning strategies, but *why*? Why generalize instead of memorize to lower loss? And why is generalization transient?
Our work explains this & *predicts Transformer behavior throughout training* without its weights! 🧵
1/
Our work explains this & *predicts Transformer behavior throughout training* without its weights! 🧵
1/
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
So excited to see this paper with @ckaicher.bsky.social and @cantlonlab.bsky.social finally out!
Intersection of spatial and numerical cognition in the developing brain
Abstract. Early mathematical development is thought to depend on visuospatial processing, yet neural evidence for this relationship in young children has b
academic.oup.com
June 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
So excited to see this paper with @ckaicher.bsky.social and @cantlonlab.bsky.social finally out!
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
If you are attending #CogSci2025 I hope you will consider attending our pre-conference workshop on July 29 - "Putting it Together: Interactions Between Domains of Cognition"
sites.google.com/view/cogsci2...
sites.google.com/view/cogsci2...
Domain Interactions | CogSci 2025
Organizers
sites.google.com
May 20, 2025 at 9:18 PM
If you are attending #CogSci2025 I hope you will consider attending our pre-conference workshop on July 29 - "Putting it Together: Interactions Between Domains of Cognition"
sites.google.com/view/cogsci2...
sites.google.com/view/cogsci2...
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
I’m happy to be at #VSS2025 and share what our lab has been up to this year!
I’m also honored to receive this year’s young investigator award and will give a short talk at the awards ceremony Monday
I’m also honored to receive this year’s young investigator award and will give a short talk at the awards ceremony Monday
May 16, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I’m happy to be at #VSS2025 and share what our lab has been up to this year!
I’m also honored to receive this year’s young investigator award and will give a short talk at the awards ceremony Monday
I’m also honored to receive this year’s young investigator award and will give a short talk at the awards ceremony Monday
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
Despite everything going on, I may have funds to hire a postdoc this year 😬🤞🧑🔬 Open to a wide variety of possible projects in social and cognitive neuroscience. Get in touch if you are interested! Reposts appreciated.
May 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Despite everything going on, I may have funds to hire a postdoc this year 😬🤞🧑🔬 Open to a wide variety of possible projects in social and cognitive neuroscience. Get in touch if you are interested! Reposts appreciated.
Reposted by Elizabeth Jiwon Im
1/
New Preprint (also my first time posting on BlueSky haha)!!!
How do individual differences in habituation shape dishabituation magnitude?
Work with Qiong Cao, @mcxfrank.bsky.social and @shariliu.bsky.social
osf.io/preprints/ps...
New Preprint (also my first time posting on BlueSky haha)!!!
How do individual differences in habituation shape dishabituation magnitude?
Work with Qiong Cao, @mcxfrank.bsky.social and @shariliu.bsky.social
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
May 8, 2025 at 4:03 AM
1/
New Preprint (also my first time posting on BlueSky haha)!!!
How do individual differences in habituation shape dishabituation magnitude?
Work with Qiong Cao, @mcxfrank.bsky.social and @shariliu.bsky.social
osf.io/preprints/ps...
New Preprint (also my first time posting on BlueSky haha)!!!
How do individual differences in habituation shape dishabituation magnitude?
Work with Qiong Cao, @mcxfrank.bsky.social and @shariliu.bsky.social
osf.io/preprints/ps...