Matthew Apps
@brainapps.bsky.social
Full Professor of Cognitive Computational Neuroscience & MSNlab PI-- Motivation, decision-making & social cognition in human brains. Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, UK.
www.msn-lab.com
www.msn-lab.com
Reposted by Matthew Apps
🌎 New paper in @commspsychol.nature.com 🌍
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
November 5, 2025 at 10:18 AM
🌎 New paper in @commspsychol.nature.com 🌍
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
Reposted by Matthew Apps
How can we encourage people to put in effort to benefit the climate? Our new task can help tell us how...
🌎 New paper in @commspsychol.nature.com 🌍
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
November 5, 2025 at 10:32 AM
How can we encourage people to put in effort to benefit the climate? Our new task can help tell us how...
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
From the amazing @lauragrima.bsky.social and colleagues - definitely looking forward to reading this!
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition
From the amazing @lauragrima.bsky.social and colleagues - definitely looking forward to reading this!
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
The study of foraging is central to a renewed interest in naturalistic behavior in neuroscience. Applying a foraging framework grounded in behavioral …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
From the amazing @lauragrima.bsky.social and colleagues - definitely looking forward to reading this!
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition
From the amazing @lauragrima.bsky.social and colleagues - definitely looking forward to reading this!
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition
Super pleased with this one, led by the amazing PhD student and foraging expert @emmavscholey.bsky.social!
🧪Preprint!
How foragers depart from optimal models can tell us a lot about how they compute their decisions.
A strong but underexplored departure is that foragers widely vary when they leave identical patches.
A 🧵
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With
@emmavscholey.bsky.social @brainapps.bsky.social
How foragers depart from optimal models can tell us a lot about how they compute their decisions.
A strong but underexplored departure is that foragers widely vary when they leave identical patches.
A 🧵
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With
@emmavscholey.bsky.social @brainapps.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Super pleased with this one, led by the amazing PhD student and foraging expert @emmavscholey.bsky.social!
Reposted by Matthew Apps
I’m thrilled to share that our paper is now published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General!🧵👇 psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
November 12, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I’m thrilled to share that our paper is now published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General!🧵👇 psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Does dopamine modulate the willingness to help?
New Psychology Today post, "How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others", written by me, with special thanks to @drjocutler.bsky.social and @thepsychologist.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-...
New Psychology Today post, "How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others", written by me, with special thanks to @drjocutler.bsky.social and @thepsychologist.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-...
How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others
New research shows patients with Parkinson's disease were more willing to help others after taking their dopamine-boosting medication.
www.psychologytoday.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Does dopamine modulate the willingness to help?
New Psychology Today post, "How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others", written by me, with special thanks to @drjocutler.bsky.social and @thepsychologist.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-...
New Psychology Today post, "How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others", written by me, with special thanks to @drjocutler.bsky.social and @thepsychologist.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-...
Reposted by Matthew Apps
🎉 New paper alert!
In this collaboration across 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 (n = 3,055), we developed a new pro-environmental behavior task and tested which psychological interventions actually make people more willing to put in real effort for mitigating climate change.
Fully OA: tinyurl.com/2s46fppb
In this collaboration across 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 (n = 3,055), we developed a new pro-environmental behavior task and tested which psychological interventions actually make people more willing to put in real effort for mitigating climate change.
Fully OA: tinyurl.com/2s46fppb
Psychological interventions that decrease psychological distance or challenge system justification increase motivation to exert effort to mitigate climate change - Communications Psychology
Pro-environmental actions often require effort. Participants were less motivated to help the climate than a food charity, but two interventions removed this bias. Computational modelling linked climat...
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:31 AM
🎉 New paper alert!
In this collaboration across 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 (n = 3,055), we developed a new pro-environmental behavior task and tested which psychological interventions actually make people more willing to put in real effort for mitigating climate change.
Fully OA: tinyurl.com/2s46fppb
In this collaboration across 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 (n = 3,055), we developed a new pro-environmental behavior task and tested which psychological interventions actually make people more willing to put in real effort for mitigating climate change.
Fully OA: tinyurl.com/2s46fppb
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Read more about the story behind the project here - communities.springernature.com/posts/boosti...
Thanks to all the co-authors across @sdnl.bsky.social, @msnlab.bsky.social, @thechbh.bsky.social, @uob-sop.bsky.social, @scanunit.bsky.social & others
Thanks to all the co-authors across @sdnl.bsky.social, @msnlab.bsky.social, @thechbh.bsky.social, @uob-sop.bsky.social, @scanunit.bsky.social & others
Boosting climate motivation with psychological interventions
Actions that protect the environment are crucial but often require effort, which people avoid. In a large international collaboration, we identified psychological interventions that can effectively bo...
communities.springernature.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Read more about the story behind the project here - communities.springernature.com/posts/boosti...
Thanks to all the co-authors across @sdnl.bsky.social, @msnlab.bsky.social, @thechbh.bsky.social, @uob-sop.bsky.social, @scanunit.bsky.social & others
Thanks to all the co-authors across @sdnl.bsky.social, @msnlab.bsky.social, @thechbh.bsky.social, @uob-sop.bsky.social, @scanunit.bsky.social & others
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Finally, we found that people who believe climate change is man-made and support policies to protect the planet had higher pro-environmental motivation specifically.
People lower in trait apathy and who rated the task as less effortful were more likely to help both causes.
People lower in trait apathy and who rated the task as less effortful were more likely to help both causes.
November 5, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Finally, we found that people who believe climate change is man-made and support policies to protect the planet had higher pro-environmental motivation specifically.
People lower in trait apathy and who rated the task as less effortful were more likely to help both causes.
People lower in trait apathy and who rated the task as less effortful were more likely to help both causes.
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Using computational modelling, we showed that these effective interventions changed how rewards 💰 for the climate 🌍 (vs. food charity) were devalued by effort 💪.
This was independent of how noisy participants' choices were 🤔
This was independent of how noisy participants' choices were 🤔
November 5, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Using computational modelling, we showed that these effective interventions changed how rewards 💰 for the climate 🌍 (vs. food charity) were devalued by effort 💪.
This was independent of how noisy participants' choices were 🤔
This was independent of how noisy participants' choices were 🤔
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Two interventions robustly decreased the preference to help food over climate, across measures and analyses.
These interventions:
- decreased psychological distance to the negative effects of climate change
- used system justification theory to promote pro-environmental action
These interventions:
- decreased psychological distance to the negative effects of climate change
- used system justification theory to promote pro-environmental action
November 5, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Two interventions robustly decreased the preference to help food over climate, across measures and analyses.
These interventions:
- decreased psychological distance to the negative effects of climate change
- used system justification theory to promote pro-environmental action
These interventions:
- decreased psychological distance to the negative effects of climate change
- used system justification theory to promote pro-environmental action
Reposted by Matthew Apps
We tested the 11 expert-sourced interventions from the International Climate Psychology Collaboration led by
@madalina.bsky.social,
@kimdoell.bsky.social, @jbakcoleman.bsky.social & @jayvanbavel.bsky.social
See doi.org/10.1126/scia... & doi.org/10.1038/s415... (all the data are freely available!)
@madalina.bsky.social,
@kimdoell.bsky.social, @jbakcoleman.bsky.social & @jayvanbavel.bsky.social
See doi.org/10.1126/scia... & doi.org/10.1038/s415... (all the data are freely available!)
The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data collected from 63 countries - Scientific Data
Scientific Data - The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data collected from 63 countries
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:28 AM
We tested the 11 expert-sourced interventions from the International Climate Psychology Collaboration led by
@madalina.bsky.social,
@kimdoell.bsky.social, @jbakcoleman.bsky.social & @jayvanbavel.bsky.social
See doi.org/10.1126/scia... & doi.org/10.1038/s415... (all the data are freely available!)
@madalina.bsky.social,
@kimdoell.bsky.social, @jbakcoleman.bsky.social & @jayvanbavel.bsky.social
See doi.org/10.1126/scia... & doi.org/10.1038/s415... (all the data are freely available!)
Reposted by Matthew Apps
People were more willing to exert effort when:
💪 the effort required was 🔽
💰 the reward available was 🔼
In the control group without intervention, motivation was higher to provide food than mitigate climate change 🌍
➡️ Interventions that promote climate motivation are key
💪 the effort required was 🔽
💰 the reward available was 🔼
In the control group without intervention, motivation was higher to provide food than mitigate climate change 🌍
➡️ Interventions that promote climate motivation are key
November 5, 2025 at 10:25 AM
People were more willing to exert effort when:
💪 the effort required was 🔽
💰 the reward available was 🔼
In the control group without intervention, motivation was higher to provide food than mitigate climate change 🌍
➡️ Interventions that promote climate motivation are key
💪 the effort required was 🔽
💰 the reward available was 🔼
In the control group without intervention, motivation was higher to provide food than mitigate climate change 🌍
➡️ Interventions that promote climate motivation are key
Reposted by Matthew Apps
3,055 ppts from 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 did our new online Pro-Environmental Effort Task ✨ the PEET ✨
On each trial, they choose between rest or work: exerting effort by clicking boxes to earn more credits 💪
Credits were donations to a climate charity 🌍 or a matched control food charity
On each trial, they choose between rest or work: exerting effort by clicking boxes to earn more credits 💪
Credits were donations to a climate charity 🌍 or a matched control food charity
November 5, 2025 at 10:23 AM
3,055 ppts from 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 did our new online Pro-Environmental Effort Task ✨ the PEET ✨
On each trial, they choose between rest or work: exerting effort by clicking boxes to earn more credits 💪
Credits were donations to a climate charity 🌍 or a matched control food charity
On each trial, they choose between rest or work: exerting effort by clicking boxes to earn more credits 💪
Credits were donations to a climate charity 🌍 or a matched control food charity
How can we encourage people to put in effort to benefit the climate? Our new task can help tell us how...
🌎 New paper in @commspsychol.nature.com 🌍
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
doi.org/10.1038/s442...
There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation?
Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
November 5, 2025 at 10:32 AM
How can we encourage people to put in effort to benefit the climate? Our new task can help tell us how...
Day 2 starts with a keynote from Susan Healy on learning from mistakes!
November 5, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Day 2 starts with a keynote from Susan Healy on learning from mistakes!
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Had a brilliant day at the Mechanistic Basis of Foraging conference in Birmingham so far - presenting @johalgermissen.bsky.social’s work and listening to many great speakers 🥳🧠🐠
November 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Had a brilliant day at the Mechanistic Basis of Foraging conference in Birmingham so far - presenting @johalgermissen.bsky.social’s work and listening to many great speakers 🥳🧠🐠
Nearly ready to go! Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025!
November 4, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Nearly ready to go! Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025!
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Really delighted to share our new article in Current Biology showing that the cingulate-to-dorsolateral prefrontal pathway is not involved in trial-to-trial short-term adaptation but rather in sustained motivational control.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Redirecting
doi.org
November 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Really delighted to share our new article in Current Biology showing that the cingulate-to-dorsolateral prefrontal pathway is not involved in trial-to-trial short-term adaptation but rather in sustained motivational control.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Looking for a PhD? Interested in cognitive computational neuroscience, motivation and decision-making? See our project listed in the BBSRC MIBTP competition for funding for a 4-year PhD in the @msnlab.bsky.social in the @thechbh.bsky.social. Deadline 27/11. More info: tinyurl.com/5d5vz8m7
The computational and neural dynamics of human motivation and cognitive control at University of Birmingham on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - The computational and neural dynamics of human motivation and cognitive control at University of Birmingham, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Looking for a PhD? Interested in cognitive computational neuroscience, motivation and decision-making? See our project listed in the BBSRC MIBTP competition for funding for a 4-year PhD in the @msnlab.bsky.social in the @thechbh.bsky.social. Deadline 27/11. More info: tinyurl.com/5d5vz8m7
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Very happy to see this published! Registered report led by the fantastic Sophie Sowden-Carvalho (and with @thepsychologist.bsky.social & @brainapps.bsky.social) looking at effort-based prosocial decision-making in autistic and non-autistic adults. tinyurl.com/3upvukt2
See thread below for more info⭐️
See thread below for more info⭐️
Autistic and non-autistic prosocial decision-making: The impact of recipient neurotype
A body of research suggests cross-neurotype interpersonal interactions may be more challenging, and non-autistic individuals show less interest in int…
tinyurl.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Very happy to see this published! Registered report led by the fantastic Sophie Sowden-Carvalho (and with @thepsychologist.bsky.social & @brainapps.bsky.social) looking at effort-based prosocial decision-making in autistic and non-autistic adults. tinyurl.com/3upvukt2
See thread below for more info⭐️
See thread below for more info⭐️
Reposted by Matthew Apps
I'm excited to share the news that our climate change project won the @spspnews.bsky.social Robert Cialdini Prize for a "paper that uses field methods and demonstrates the relevance of social psychology to outside groups and communities"!
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 7, 2025 at 9:11 PM
I'm excited to share the news that our climate change project won the @spspnews.bsky.social Robert Cialdini Prize for a "paper that uses field methods and demonstrates the relevance of social psychology to outside groups and communities"!
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
You can read it here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Plus, there's now a related conference organized by some wonderful people @unibirmingham.bsky.social in the UK, including @brainapps.bsky.social, @markdhumphries.bsky.social, and others. (Registration for this conference is still open until the 20th October!) uobevents.eventsair.com/the-mechanis...
Home - The Mechanistic Basis of Foraging
uobevents.eventsair.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Plus, there's now a related conference organized by some wonderful people @unibirmingham.bsky.social in the UK, including @brainapps.bsky.social, @markdhumphries.bsky.social, and others. (Registration for this conference is still open until the 20th October!) uobevents.eventsair.com/the-mechanis...
Wonderful to see this out! Also heartwarming to see the first author @lauragrima.bsky.social and last author @emmavscholey.bsky.social were/are trainees of mine. I take none of the credit but super proud of them and the team.
Pleased to have this review out in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social. In it we discuss various aspects of the intersection between foraging behaviors and neuroscience, and offer some future directions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
The study of foraging is central to a renewed interest in naturalistic behavior in neuroscience. Applying a foraging framework grounded in behavioral …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Wonderful to see this out! Also heartwarming to see the first author @lauragrima.bsky.social and last author @emmavscholey.bsky.social were/are trainees of mine. I take none of the credit but super proud of them and the team.
Reposted by Matthew Apps
Pleased to have this review out in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social. In it we discuss various aspects of the intersection between foraging behaviors and neuroscience, and offer some future directions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
The study of foraging is central to a renewed interest in naturalistic behavior in neuroscience. Applying a foraging framework grounded in behavioral …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Pleased to have this review out in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social. In it we discuss various aspects of the intersection between foraging behaviors and neuroscience, and offer some future directions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...