Julian Jara-Ettinger
@julianje.bsky.social
Cognitive scientist at Yale
http://compdevlab.yale.edu
http://compdevlab.yale.edu
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Excited to share a new preprint, accepted as a spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
Humans are imperfect decision-makers, and autonomous systems should understand how we deviate from idealized rationality
Our paper aims to address this! 👀🧠✨
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25951
a 🧵⤵️
Humans are imperfect decision-makers, and autonomous systems should understand how we deviate from idealized rationality
Our paper aims to address this! 👀🧠✨
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25951
a 🧵⤵️
Estimating cognitive biases with attention-aware inverse planning
People's goal-directed behaviors are influenced by their cognitive biases, and autonomous systems that interact with people should be aware of this. For example, people's attention to objects in their...
arxiv.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Excited to share a new preprint, accepted as a spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
Humans are imperfect decision-makers, and autonomous systems should understand how we deviate from idealized rationality
Our paper aims to address this! 👀🧠✨
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25951
a 🧵⤵️
Humans are imperfect decision-makers, and autonomous systems should understand how we deviate from idealized rationality
Our paper aims to address this! 👀🧠✨
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25951
a 🧵⤵️
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Fully funded #PhDposition in Comparative Cultural Psychology @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social.
We will use touchscreen experiments & eyetracking to study mental simulations in nonhuman apes & human children across different cultures.
All info here: www.eva.mpg.de/career/posit...
Please share / apply!🙏
We will use touchscreen experiments & eyetracking to study mental simulations in nonhuman apes & human children across different cultures.
All info here: www.eva.mpg.de/career/posit...
Please share / apply!🙏
Positions available - Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
www.eva.mpg.de
November 13, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Fully funded #PhDposition in Comparative Cultural Psychology @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social.
We will use touchscreen experiments & eyetracking to study mental simulations in nonhuman apes & human children across different cultures.
All info here: www.eva.mpg.de/career/posit...
Please share / apply!🙏
We will use touchscreen experiments & eyetracking to study mental simulations in nonhuman apes & human children across different cultures.
All info here: www.eva.mpg.de/career/posit...
Please share / apply!🙏
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
How do people flexibly integrate visual & textual information to draw mental inferences about agents we've never met?
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
November 5, 2025 at 3:55 PM
How do people flexibly integrate visual & textual information to draw mental inferences about agents we've never met?
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
Relational Cognition Lab
www.relcoglab.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:09 AM
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Interested in doing a PhD at the intersection of human and machine cognition? ✨ I'm recruiting students for Fall 2026! ✨
Topics of interest include pragmatics, metacognition, reasoning, & interpretability (in humans and AI).
Check out JHU's mentoring program (due 11/15) for help with your SoP 👇
Topics of interest include pragmatics, metacognition, reasoning, & interpretability (in humans and AI).
Check out JHU's mentoring program (due 11/15) for help with your SoP 👇
The department of Cognitive Science @jhu.edu is seeking motivated students interested in joining our interdisciplinary PhD program! Applications due 1 Dec
Our PhD students also run an application mentoring program for prospective students. Mentoring requests due November 15.
tinyurl.com/2nrn4jf9
Our PhD students also run an application mentoring program for prospective students. Mentoring requests due November 15.
tinyurl.com/2nrn4jf9
November 4, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Interested in doing a PhD at the intersection of human and machine cognition? ✨ I'm recruiting students for Fall 2026! ✨
Topics of interest include pragmatics, metacognition, reasoning, & interpretability (in humans and AI).
Check out JHU's mentoring program (due 11/15) for help with your SoP 👇
Topics of interest include pragmatics, metacognition, reasoning, & interpretability (in humans and AI).
Check out JHU's mentoring program (due 11/15) for help with your SoP 👇
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Excited to share that my lab will be accepting applications for our very first PhD student to start in Fall 2026!
Interested applicants can learn more about the lab here: wordpress.lehigh.edu/littlelearne...
And Lehigh’s graduate program here: psychology.cas.lehigh.edu/graduate
Interested applicants can learn more about the lab here: wordpress.lehigh.edu/littlelearne...
And Lehigh’s graduate program here: psychology.cas.lehigh.edu/graduate
September 26, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Excited to share that my lab will be accepting applications for our very first PhD student to start in Fall 2026!
Interested applicants can learn more about the lab here: wordpress.lehigh.edu/littlelearne...
And Lehigh’s graduate program here: psychology.cas.lehigh.edu/graduate
Interested applicants can learn more about the lab here: wordpress.lehigh.edu/littlelearne...
And Lehigh’s graduate program here: psychology.cas.lehigh.edu/graduate
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
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 Julian Jara-Ettinger
“Okay great I opened the city gates like you suggested. And yeah, if you could generate a list of fun things to do with a giant wooden horse that would be super.”
October 17, 2025 at 3:04 PM
“Okay great I opened the city gates like you suggested. And yeah, if you could generate a list of fun things to do with a giant wooden horse that would be super.”
Do you use AI for clinically relevant neuroscience problems? We have a faculty search at Yale that might be for you! Info about CBMH: medicine.yale.edu/brain-mind-h... Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/157186. We start reviewing apps in November!
About CBMH
The Center for Brain & Mind Health (CBMH) promotes interdisciplinary clinical and translational research leading to the management, diagnosis, treatment of, and
medicine.yale.edu
October 16, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Do you use AI for clinically relevant neuroscience problems? We have a faculty search at Yale that might be for you! Info about CBMH: medicine.yale.edu/brain-mind-h... Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/157186. We start reviewing apps in November!
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
UT Austin Linguistics is hiring in computational linguistics!
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
UT Austin Computational Linguistics Research Group – Humans processing computers processing humans processing language
sites.utexas.edu
October 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
UT Austin Linguistics is hiring in computational linguistics!
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Our paper in annual review of dev psych is out! It's a big-picture look at the development of social cognition from a computational perspective: compdevlab.yale.edu/docs/2025/an...
compdevlab.yale.edu
October 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Our paper in annual review of dev psych is out! It's a big-picture look at the development of social cognition from a computational perspective: compdevlab.yale.edu/docs/2025/an...
We have an open-rank position in quantitative psychology at Yale! Please apply if this describes you: apply.interfolio.com/171903
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:38 PM
We have an open-rank position in quantitative psychology at Yale! Please apply if this describes you: apply.interfolio.com/171903
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Delighted to announce our CogSci '25 workshop at the interface between cognitive science and design 🧠🖌️!
We're calling it: 🏺Minds in the Making🏺
🔗 minds-making.github.io
June – July 2024, free & open to the public
(all career stages, all disciplines)
We're calling it: 🏺Minds in the Making🏺
🔗 minds-making.github.io
June – July 2024, free & open to the public
(all career stages, all disciplines)
June 6, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Delighted to announce our CogSci '25 workshop at the interface between cognitive science and design 🧠🖌️!
We're calling it: 🏺Minds in the Making🏺
🔗 minds-making.github.io
June – July 2024, free & open to the public
(all career stages, all disciplines)
We're calling it: 🏺Minds in the Making🏺
🔗 minds-making.github.io
June – July 2024, free & open to the public
(all career stages, all disciplines)
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
New paper just dropped🎉 With novel "Curiosity Boxes", we find that chimps & children are very curious about social interactions, & some even give up a reward to gain info! Fun collaboration with @alisongopnik.bsky.social, @janengelmann.bsky.social & others royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Chimpanzees and children are curious about social interactions | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Curiosity is adaptive, enhances learning, and reduces uncertainty. Social curiosity
is defined as the motivation to gain information about the actions, relationships,
and psychology of others. Little ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
June 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
New paper just dropped🎉 With novel "Curiosity Boxes", we find that chimps & children are very curious about social interactions, & some even give up a reward to gain info! Fun collaboration with @alisongopnik.bsky.social, @janengelmann.bsky.social & others royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Now out in JPSP ‼️
"Inference from social evaluation" with Zach Davis, Kelsey Allen, @maxkw.bsky.social, and @julianje.bsky.social
📃 (paper): psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
📜 (preprint): osf.io/preprints/ps...
"Inference from social evaluation" with Zach Davis, Kelsey Allen, @maxkw.bsky.social, and @julianje.bsky.social
📃 (paper): psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
📜 (preprint): osf.io/preprints/ps...
April 25, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Now out in JPSP ‼️
"Inference from social evaluation" with Zach Davis, Kelsey Allen, @maxkw.bsky.social, and @julianje.bsky.social
📃 (paper): psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
📜 (preprint): osf.io/preprints/ps...
"Inference from social evaluation" with Zach Davis, Kelsey Allen, @maxkw.bsky.social, and @julianje.bsky.social
📃 (paper): psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
📜 (preprint): osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
My new piece in @theguardian.com
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
AI is ‘beating’ humans at empathy and creativity. But these games are rigged | MJ Crockett
Research pitting people against AI systems gives AI an edge by asking us to perform in machine-like ways
www.theguardian.com
February 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
My new piece in @theguardian.com
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Techno-optimism is human pessimism.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
New Daedalus issue on the science of caregiving. In our paper, we ask, how might infants experience caregiving? Writing this paper with Christina Steele,
@alisongopnik.bsky.social and @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social was incredibly fun. Our paper and the other awesome pieces here:
www.amacad.org/daedalus
@alisongopnik.bsky.social and @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social was incredibly fun. Our paper and the other awesome pieces here:
www.amacad.org/daedalus
Daedalus Home
Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
www.amacad.org
February 13, 2025 at 5:06 PM
New Daedalus issue on the science of caregiving. In our paper, we ask, how might infants experience caregiving? Writing this paper with Christina Steele,
@alisongopnik.bsky.social and @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social was incredibly fun. Our paper and the other awesome pieces here:
www.amacad.org/daedalus
@alisongopnik.bsky.social and @rebeccasaxe.bsky.social was incredibly fun. Our paper and the other awesome pieces here:
www.amacad.org/daedalus
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
Now hiring for two lab manager positions at Stanford! Hyo Gweon and I are coordinating joint searches since our labs collaborate frequently. Please join us!
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/researc...
and
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/lab-coo...
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/researc...
and
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/lab-coo...
February 10, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Now hiring for two lab manager positions at Stanford! Hyo Gweon and I are coordinating joint searches since our labs collaborate frequently. Please join us!
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/researc...
and
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/lab-coo...
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/researc...
and
careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/lab-coo...
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
🚨 Finally out! My new @annualreviews.bsky.social in Psychology paper:
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
We unpack why psych theories of generalization keep cycling from rigid rule-based models to flexible similarity-based ones, then culminating in Bayesian hybrids. Let's break it down 👉 🧵
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
We unpack why psych theories of generalization keep cycling from rigid rule-based models to flexible similarity-based ones, then culminating in Bayesian hybrids. Let's break it down 👉 🧵
February 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
🚨 Finally out! My new @annualreviews.bsky.social in Psychology paper:
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
We unpack why psych theories of generalization keep cycling from rigid rule-based models to flexible similarity-based ones, then culminating in Bayesian hybrids. Let's break it down 👉 🧵
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
We unpack why psych theories of generalization keep cycling from rigid rule-based models to flexible similarity-based ones, then culminating in Bayesian hybrids. Let's break it down 👉 🧵
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
New paper in Open Mind! What does it mean to help? What is the goal of a helping action? We wanted to probe infants' & preschoolers' helping concept - specifically, whether they think helpers reduce others' action costs. direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
January 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
New paper in Open Mind! What does it mean to help? What is the goal of a helping action? We wanted to probe infants' & preschoolers' helping concept - specifically, whether they think helpers reduce others' action costs. direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
🎉Postdoc Alert! I am recruiting a postdoc to start Summer 2025 in the Mind & Morality Lab at Brown. If you're interested, please send a CV, cover letter, and names of at least two references to julia_marshall1@brown.edu by 2/28. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out!
January 24, 2025 at 2:08 PM
🎉Postdoc Alert! I am recruiting a postdoc to start Summer 2025 in the Mind & Morality Lab at Brown. If you're interested, please send a CV, cover letter, and names of at least two references to julia_marshall1@brown.edu by 2/28. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out!
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
🔊 New paper just accepted in JPSP 🥳
In "Inference from social evaluation", we explore how people use social evaluations, such as judgments of blame or praise, to figure out what happened.
📜 osf.io/preprints/ps...
📎 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
1/6
In "Inference from social evaluation", we explore how people use social evaluations, such as judgments of blame or praise, to figure out what happened.
📜 osf.io/preprints/ps...
📎 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
1/6
January 23, 2025 at 4:53 PM
🔊 New paper just accepted in JPSP 🥳
In "Inference from social evaluation", we explore how people use social evaluations, such as judgments of blame or praise, to figure out what happened.
📜 osf.io/preprints/ps...
📎 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
1/6
In "Inference from social evaluation", we explore how people use social evaluations, such as judgments of blame or praise, to figure out what happened.
📜 osf.io/preprints/ps...
📎 github.com/cicl-stanfor...
1/6
Reposted by Julian Jara-Ettinger
I'm hoping to hire a postdoc this year to join our growing lab at Yale! Looking for someone interested in EMA/digital phenotyping, formal theories, complex systems, & computational psychiatry.
If this sounds like you, please reach out! Official ad coming soon.
If this sounds like you, please reach out! Official ad coming soon.
January 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I'm hoping to hire a postdoc this year to join our growing lab at Yale! Looking for someone interested in EMA/digital phenotyping, formal theories, complex systems, & computational psychiatry.
If this sounds like you, please reach out! Official ad coming soon.
If this sounds like you, please reach out! Official ad coming soon.
We wrote a paper on how we think language interacts with Theory of Mind, why the connection is tricky to find experimentally, and what this means for pragmatics: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me
December 18, 2024 at 3:45 PM
We wrote a paper on how we think language interacts with Theory of Mind, why the connection is tricky to find experimentally, and what this means for pragmatics: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...