David Levari
@davidlevari.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Cognitive & Psychological Sciences + Entrepreneurship @ Brown University
https://davidlevari.com/
https://davidlevari.com/
Pinned
Graduate Study
Our graduate programs are highly selective, successfully recruiting and retaining excellent students, competing with the top programs in the world. Our doctoral students go on to be scientists and sch...
copsy.brown.edu
PhD applications for Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown (@browncopsy.bsky.social) are due on December 1st. We have a great community, so please apply, share with your students, etc. Read more on our fancy new website here: copsy.brown.edu/graduate-study
Reposted by David Levari
Arising out of discussions in @csi-research.bsky.social we conducted a Registered Report replicating Triplett’s (1898) experiment with over 400 children, showing children completed the task faster when paired with a coactor, compared to competing the task alone rdcu.be/eQwAE 1/3
A replication of Triplett’s ‘social facilitation experiment’
Scientific Reports - A replication of Triplett’s ‘social facilitation experiment’
rdcu.be
November 18, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Arising out of discussions in @csi-research.bsky.social we conducted a Registered Report replicating Triplett’s (1898) experiment with over 400 children, showing children completed the task faster when paired with a coactor, compared to competing the task alone rdcu.be/eQwAE 1/3
Tired: moral dumbfounding
Wired: *moral* dumbfounding
Wired: *moral* dumbfounding
October 31, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Tired: moral dumbfounding
Wired: *moral* dumbfounding
Wired: *moral* dumbfounding
Reposted by David Levari
Interested in clinical psychology? Check out this recent article showcasing Prof. Elizabeth Thompson’s Clinical Psychology Conversation Series, which helps Brown students explore careers in clinical and applied psychology.
👉 Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/wurw4jzs
👉 Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/wurw4jzs
From Groundwork to Graduate School: How a New CoPsy Series Helps Students Explore Clinical Career Paths
tinyurl.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Interested in clinical psychology? Check out this recent article showcasing Prof. Elizabeth Thompson’s Clinical Psychology Conversation Series, which helps Brown students explore careers in clinical and applied psychology.
👉 Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/wurw4jzs
👉 Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/wurw4jzs
PhD applications for Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown (@browncopsy.bsky.social) are due on December 1st. We have a great community, so please apply, share with your students, etc. Read more on our fancy new website here: copsy.brown.edu/graduate-study
Graduate Study
Our graduate programs are highly selective, successfully recruiting and retaining excellent students, competing with the top programs in the world. Our doctoral students go on to be scientists and sch...
copsy.brown.edu
October 30, 2025 at 2:56 PM
PhD applications for Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown (@browncopsy.bsky.social) are due on December 1st. We have a great community, so please apply, share with your students, etc. Read more on our fancy new website here: copsy.brown.edu/graduate-study
Reposted by David Levari
🧠 Thrilled to share our NeuroView with Ellie Pavlick!
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
October 24, 2025 at 11:22 AM
🧠 Thrilled to share our NeuroView with Ellie Pavlick!
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
Reposted by David Levari
Last call for applications! Join us in advancing AI and the science of mind at Brown. Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
October 24, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Last call for applications! Join us in advancing AI and the science of mind at Brown. Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
Reposted by David Levari
Glad to see my first-year project is out!
In two experiments, we manipulated multiple stimulus features in a perception task, yet their effects on confidence and accuracy fell into just two distinct behavioral patterns, offering a way to predict the effects of novel stimulus manipulations.
1/n
In two experiments, we manipulated multiple stimulus features in a perception task, yet their effects on confidence and accuracy fell into just two distinct behavioral patterns, offering a way to predict the effects of novel stimulus manipulations.
1/n
Similarities and differences in the effects of different stimulus manipulations on accuracy and confidence
Visual stimuli can vary in multiple dimensions that affect accuracy and confidence in a perceptual decision-making task. However, previous studies hav…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 12, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Glad to see my first-year project is out!
In two experiments, we manipulated multiple stimulus features in a perception task, yet their effects on confidence and accuracy fell into just two distinct behavioral patterns, offering a way to predict the effects of novel stimulus manipulations.
1/n
In two experiments, we manipulated multiple stimulus features in a perception task, yet their effects on confidence and accuracy fell into just two distinct behavioral patterns, offering a way to predict the effects of novel stimulus manipulations.
1/n
Reposted by David Levari
One of the papers I've been most excited about since starting the lab!
We adopt a network neuroscience approach to understand how arousal reconfigures large-scale functional network organization to support memory of complex narratives!
We adopt a network neuroscience approach to understand how arousal reconfigures large-scale functional network organization to support memory of complex narratives!
Out now in @nathumbehav.nature.com! We applied graph theoretic analyses to fMRI data of participants watching movies/listening to stories. Integration across large-scale functional networks mediates arousal-dependent enhancement of narrative memories. Open access link: rdcu.be/eKKAw
October 13, 2025 at 6:35 PM
One of the papers I've been most excited about since starting the lab!
We adopt a network neuroscience approach to understand how arousal reconfigures large-scale functional network organization to support memory of complex narratives!
We adopt a network neuroscience approach to understand how arousal reconfigures large-scale functional network organization to support memory of complex narratives!
Reposted by David Levari
Slow change blindness from serial dependence www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Slow change blindness from serial dependence
Slow change blindness, when attentive observers fail to notice large changes that happen gradually, raises questions about how visual information is combined across time. One plausible integration str...
www.biorxiv.org
October 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Slow change blindness from serial dependence www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by David Levari
Brown’s Department of Cognitive & Psychological Sciences is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working in the area of AI and the Mind (start July 1, 2026). Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Brown’s Department of Cognitive & Psychological Sciences is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working in the area of AI and the Mind (start July 1, 2026). Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
Reposted by David Levari
New work led by the brilliant @yizhang96.bsky.social:
In lab experiments and naturalistic groups, people generalize perceptions of acceptance and rejection across social network ties.
In lab experiments and naturalistic groups, people generalize perceptions of acceptance and rejection across social network ties.
New paper out in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology! 🎉
How do we figure out who will accept or reject us in a new group?
We show that people generalize relational value across friendship ties—forming a network gradient of approach & avoidance.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lq3x51f8w...
How do we figure out who will accept or reject us in a new group?
We show that people generalize relational value across friendship ties—forming a network gradient of approach & avoidance.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lq3x51f8w...
September 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
New work led by the brilliant @yizhang96.bsky.social:
In lab experiments and naturalistic groups, people generalize perceptions of acceptance and rejection across social network ties.
In lab experiments and naturalistic groups, people generalize perceptions of acceptance and rejection across social network ties.
Reposted by David Levari
Excited to announce our amazing lineup of speakers for the 2026 JDM preconference at SPSP!
Conference date: Feb 26th
Location: Chicago
Deadline to apply: Oct 23rd.
Application link: spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...
cc: @sdellavi.bsky.social, @hirshmansam.bsky.social, @vinisingh.bsky.social
Conference date: Feb 26th
Location: Chicago
Deadline to apply: Oct 23rd.
Application link: spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...
cc: @sdellavi.bsky.social, @hirshmansam.bsky.social, @vinisingh.bsky.social
September 22, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Excited to announce our amazing lineup of speakers for the 2026 JDM preconference at SPSP!
Conference date: Feb 26th
Location: Chicago
Deadline to apply: Oct 23rd.
Application link: spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...
cc: @sdellavi.bsky.social, @hirshmansam.bsky.social, @vinisingh.bsky.social
Conference date: Feb 26th
Location: Chicago
Deadline to apply: Oct 23rd.
Application link: spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...
cc: @sdellavi.bsky.social, @hirshmansam.bsky.social, @vinisingh.bsky.social
Reposted by David Levari
Can reasoned arguments shift moral behavior? In a new preprint, @eschwitz.bsky.social, Jason Nemirow, @fierycushman.bsky.social and I explore this question in the context of charitable donation. (1/10)
September 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Can reasoned arguments shift moral behavior? In a new preprint, @eschwitz.bsky.social, Jason Nemirow, @fierycushman.bsky.social and I explore this question in the context of charitable donation. (1/10)
Reposted by David Levari
What happens if you *ask* instead of *tell*? Turns out, teasing people with a question before sharing a fact can shape whether people engage with critical health information. Read our new paper in Management Science to learn more: pubsonline.informs.org/doi/full/10....
Does Q&A Boost Engagement? Health Messaging Experiments in the United States and Ghana | Management Science
pubsonline.informs.org
September 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
What happens if you *ask* instead of *tell*? Turns out, teasing people with a question before sharing a fact can shape whether people engage with critical health information. Read our new paper in Management Science to learn more: pubsonline.informs.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by David Levari
We often hear from reviewers: "what about demand effects?" So we developed a method to eliminate them. Something weird happened during testing: We couldn’t detect demand effects in the first place! (1/8)
September 15, 2025 at 5:19 PM
We often hear from reviewers: "what about demand effects?" So we developed a method to eliminate them. Something weird happened during testing: We couldn’t detect demand effects in the first place! (1/8)
Reposted by David Levari
My lab is hiring a lab manager! Application deadline = 11/1, start date sometime between June & September 2026 (to be arranged with finalist). Please spread the word & apply here: opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/a3f80f7....
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #psychjobs
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #psychjobs
Research Staff Assistant - Morningside, New York, United States
Job Type: Support Staff - Non-Union
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Hours Per Week: 35
Salary Range: $41,000- $41,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of fa...
opportunities.columbia.edu
September 8, 2025 at 2:41 PM
My lab is hiring a lab manager! Application deadline = 11/1, start date sometime between June & September 2026 (to be arranged with finalist). Please spread the word & apply here: opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/a3f80f7....
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #psychjobs
#AcademicSky #PhdSky #PsychSciSky #SocialPsyc #DevPsyc #psychjobs
Reposted by David Levari
Visual adaptation is viewed as a test of whether a feature is represented by the visual system.
In a new paper, Sam Clarke and I push the limits of this test. We show spatially selective, putatively "visual" adaptation to a clearly non-visual dimension: Value!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
In a new paper, Sam Clarke and I push the limits of this test. We show spatially selective, putatively "visual" adaptation to a clearly non-visual dimension: Value!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Can we “see” value? Spatiotopic “visual” adaptation to an imperceptible dimension
In much recent philosophy of mind and cognitive science, repulsive adaptation effects are considered a litmus test — a crucial marker, that distinguis…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Visual adaptation is viewed as a test of whether a feature is represented by the visual system.
In a new paper, Sam Clarke and I push the limits of this test. We show spatially selective, putatively "visual" adaptation to a clearly non-visual dimension: Value!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
In a new paper, Sam Clarke and I push the limits of this test. We show spatially selective, putatively "visual" adaptation to a clearly non-visual dimension: Value!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by David Levari
A wonderful article on work (both old and new) pushing the frontier of memory research.
If you’ve ever tried to cram for an exam, you know that it’s easier to memorize something if you learn the information in shorter, spaced-out sessions. These dynamics are as relevant to each individual cell’s existence as they are to ours. Claire Evans reports: www.quantamagazine.org/what-can-a-c...
What Can a Cell Remember? | Quanta Magazine
A small but enthusiastic group of neuroscientists is exhuming overlooked experiments and performing new ones to explore whether cells record past experiences — fundamentally challenging what memory is...
www.quantamagazine.org
July 30, 2025 at 3:05 PM
A wonderful article on work (both old and new) pushing the frontier of memory research.
Reposted by David Levari
👋 Hello, Bluesky! We’re Brown CoPsy—the Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. We study how minds work, how people think and develop, and how brains and behavior connect. 🧠💬 Follow us for research, news & more!
August 7, 2025 at 3:57 PM
👋 Hello, Bluesky! We’re Brown CoPsy—the Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. We study how minds work, how people think and develop, and how brains and behavior connect. 🧠💬 Follow us for research, news & more!
Reposted by David Levari
Laypeople often learn about science from expert explanations & those explanations often contain JARGON. Does jargon make explanations better or worse? In a paper out today in Nature Human Behaviour, @cruzf.bsky.social and I find that jargon can support illusions of understanding...
June 12, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Laypeople often learn about science from expert explanations & those explanations often contain JARGON. Does jargon make explanations better or worse? In a paper out today in Nature Human Behaviour, @cruzf.bsky.social and I find that jargon can support illusions of understanding...
Reposted by David Levari
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
When development constricts our moral circle
Nature Human Behaviour - Although many believe our moral circles expand with age, this Perspective discusses an early-emerging tendency to care for others.
rdcu.be
May 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
🥳🥳 New paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com: “When development constricts our moral circle." Contrary to popular belief, younger kids may start out with broader moral circles than older ones. Check it out here 👉 rdcu.be/eoaSe
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
w/ @mattiwilks.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social & Lucius Caviola
Reposted by David Levari
Honored to win the 2025 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award! You can read more about my research and journey here www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...
Member Spotlight: 2025 Spence Awardee Julia Leonard on Celebrating Children’s Progress
This Yale University researcher discusses her efforts to understand children’s approach to learning.
www.psychologicalscience.org
May 21, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Honored to win the 2025 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award! You can read more about my research and journey here www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...
Reposted by David Levari
Sometimes people say its fair for those with advantage to get more (best office to the CEO...); other times, the opposite seems more fair (... charity to the needy). In this new work, Arthur and Xavier try to explain why. See the preprint link and explainer thread below:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
May 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Sometimes people say its fair for those with advantage to get more (best office to the CEO...); other times, the opposite seems more fair (... charity to the needy). In this new work, Arthur and Xavier try to explain why. See the preprint link and explainer thread below:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by David Levari
Since 1954, "The Handbook of Social Psychology" has been the field’s most authoritative reference work, and today is the launch of the 6th edition with 50 new chapters by 100 leading scholars. Best news? The HSP is now an open-access public resource—free to read, download, and share. the-hsp.com
May 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Since 1954, "The Handbook of Social Psychology" has been the field’s most authoritative reference work, and today is the launch of the 6th edition with 50 new chapters by 100 leading scholars. Best news? The HSP is now an open-access public resource—free to read, download, and share. the-hsp.com
Reposted by David Levari
Come join us! I have startup funds to hire a postdoc for Fall 2025 at Rutgers to study intergroup relations. The job ad is at jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/249... & evaluations begin in 1 wk (5/16) w rolling evaluation. See 🧵below for a write-up on what I'm looking for in a postdoc. Please share widely!
May 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Come join us! I have startup funds to hire a postdoc for Fall 2025 at Rutgers to study intergroup relations. The job ad is at jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/249... & evaluations begin in 1 wk (5/16) w rolling evaluation. See 🧵below for a write-up on what I'm looking for in a postdoc. Please share widely!