Reposted by Ben AmbridgeNicholas A. Coles, PhD @nicholascoles.bsky.social · 02/10/2026When we fake smiles, are we smiling our way to happiness or misery? 🙃 For decades, emotion embodiment theorists have emphasized happiness boosts -- all while emotion labor theorists emphasized misery costs. In this Registered Report, we finally put these ideas side-by-side doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 1168
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Of course, the studies are preregistered, the data and syntax are available, so feel free to check my working and let me know if you find any holes! (and sorry for publishing in a "glamour journal", but even us Open Science fans need a "big paper" from time to time!) 8/8 020
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Why would anyone care about all this? Well many, probably MOST accounts of what speakers' knowledge of language looks like (e.g., @stefanmuelller.lingo.lol.ap.brid.gy) DON'T assume that speakers have constructions with meanings at all. These accounts, I argue, can't explain our data 7/n 111
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026In short, a sentence is acceptable to the extent that the meaning we're trying to get across meshes with the meaning of the sentence construction we're using (e.g., @adelegoldberg.bsky.social @thomscottphillips.bsky.social) ??c.f., @ejfranci2.bsky.social 6/n 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026So a passive like "Emily was seen by John" is more acceptable if - say - she owes him money and is hiding from him (meaning she's really affected by being seen), than if Emily is completely unaffected by being seen (e.g., they're just strangers passing on the street) 5/n 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026It's the same for the passive construction, which has the meaning of "the first-named person being highly affected" (e.g., Bill was run over by a bus). Passives are somewhat ungrammatical when this doesn't hold (e.g., *Bill was remembered/resembled/known by John) 4/n 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026So if we can come up with some outlandish context in which the causation is direct and physical - "swimming someone" by manipulating their limbs, "jumping someone" by picking them up and bouncing them, the meaning we're trying to convey fits better with the meaning of the construction 3/n 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Specifically the transitive-causative construction (e.g., [PERSON] [VERBed] [PERSON]) has the meaning of direct, physical causation, which is why "Someone swam/laughed/jumped" the boy (c.f. "Someone made the boy jump") is ungrammatical in the first place 2/n 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 30/09/2026"*The teacher swam the boy" is pretty grammatically unacceptable. But it's much more acceptable if she gets into the pool and moves his arms and legs, rather than just blowing her whistle and shouting. Why? - Sentence constructions have meanings in and of themselves: lingbuzz.net/lingbuzz/010... 1/nlingbuzz.net 1123
Reposted by Ben Ambridgeingmarvisser.bsky.social @ingmarvisser.bsky.social · 28/09/2026New paper 🍼📄 ManyBabies 3 is out (open access, registered report in Developmental Science). 30 labs, 33 languages, 839 infants set out to replicate a textbook finding: 7-month-olds learn abstract rules from speech (@garymarcus.bsky.social et al., 1999). We didn’t find it. 🧵 37747
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeMartin Zettersten @mzettersten.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Meta-analytic plot below: only 1 out of the 31 samples find evidence of the effect. Huge effort from the entire ManyBabies 3 team led by @ingmarvisser.bsky.social. Imo an important moment for reflection in infant research (esp. language development) given the centrality of this finding. 2/2 0133
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I decided it's time to practice what I preach and make sure I publish all my null/inconclusive results, particularly when my theoretical approach really predicts the effect will be found, (and it *has* been found in similar studies). Only this way can we hope to find out what's actually going on! 0101
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeIsabel Picornell Garcia @picornell.eurosky.social · 17/09/2026The Aston Institute of #ForensicLinguistics (#AIFL) invites applications for a fully funded PhD studentship starting in January 2027. The studentship provides a full tuition fee waiver and a stipend at the standard UKRI rate for three years. Details here: www.aston.ac.uk/study/course...aston.ac.ukFully-funded PhD position at the Aston Institute of Forensic LinguisticsProgramme length: Three years The Aston Institute of Forensic Linguistics invites applications for a fully funded PhD studentship starting in January 2027. The studentship provides a full tuition fee ... 033
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Fantastic news for all @manchester.ac.uk staff and students! You can now read @manchestermill.bsky.social for free at access-manchestermill-co-uk.manchester.idm.oclc.org 0117
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeKanishka Misra @kanishka.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Understanding how learners conclude “X laughed Y” is incorrect is an age-old question, with several hypotheses, some of which have been ~impossible to disentangle! @tomyxw.bsky.social, @fredashi.bsky.social, and I use controlled rearing to shed light on this in our new EMNLP paper: 1/n 2179
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeRichard McElreath 🐈⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Last year, I publicly complained multiple times (see e.g. elevanth.org/blog/2025/07...) that the open access movement had been captured by publishers, and we are now worse off than before open access. Well people got mad at me for saying it. But I think things are still getting worse. 616466
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Fancy a weekend read? We've got a preprint for you! zenodo.org/records/2214...zenodo.orgBig Team Science for language science: opportunities and challengesAbstract: The present paper advocates for incorporating Big Team Science practices into the language sciences. Big Team Science is a promising mode of collaborative research in which top-down coordina... 145
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 08/08/2026In the UK, the “coffee maker”, is usually a tank of boiling water with a tap. 130
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeAsifa Majid @asifamajid.bsky.social · 24/07/2026It's hard to believe that OECS has now published 200 articles!🎉 A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to OECS—our authors, reviewers, readers, and fantastic section editors, and especially @mcxfrank.bsky.social frank.bsky.social and @hbaum.bsky.social Excited for the next chapter! 13913
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeMike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Nearly four years ago we asked ourselves, "what would it look like to have a field-leading, completely free reference work for cognitive science"? It's been so fun editing OECS with @asifamajid.bsky.social and @hbaum.bsky.social. I can't believe we have published 200 (!!) articles! oecs.mit.edu 29734
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 22/07/2026I'm offering a PhD project under this position for anyone interested in studying the acquisition of a language other than English - www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai... - though note that you need to already have the right to work in the UK (sorry!). Look me up & email me for more information!jobs.manchester.ac.ukGraduate Teaching Assistant:Oxford Road 022
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Maybe it’s the difference between being twee and being archly, knowingly twee? 110
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeOpen Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Children master language either by internalizing innate grammatical rules or by building complex systems from stored examples of phrases they hear. Language Acquisition by Ben Ambridge doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.b4a2349c #CognitiveScience 086
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 13/07/2026100% this! I see so many between-participants studies with like N=50 when a proper power analysis would tell you you need like 500! Never between-subjects unless you have an EXTREMELY good reason. Remember, an underpowered study is often worse than no study as it can mislead! 1122
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 10/07/2026I had a look at the Krosnick chapter- it mentions “decades of research” but annoyingly doesn’t cite any directly on this point! Anyone know of any actual studies? 021
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 02/07/2026I said it on T*****, and I'll say it again here! A mixed-effects model in lme4 with its default settings gives you outputs that LOOK LIKE "ANOVA-style" main effects, BUT THEY ARE NOT! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Thanks @drlearnasaurus.bsky.social for saving my papers many times over!sciencedirect.comContrast coding choices in a decade of mixed modelsContrast coding in regression models, including mixed-effect models, changes what the terms in the model mean. In particular, it determines whether or… 091
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeDavid Barner @drbarner.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Open Mind now has an IF of 2.9 after less than 9 years of existence, an amazing accomplishment. This is just short of Cognition (3.1)! 0141
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Love this - It’s very much the vibe of a sports reporter asked to cover the weather! Early Alan Partridge on The Day Today perhaps! 020
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 25/06/2026“The “strongest risk factor” is not the form most related to harm. It is the form least redundant with whatever else is in the model.” 092
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeKristoffer Magnusson @rpsychologist.com · 25/06/2026New interactive blog! "Why Adjusted Regression Coefficients Are Less Descriptive Than They Look" rpsychologist.com/descriptive-... 1520769
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Another one bites the dust - Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning academic.oup.com/chidev/artic... 050
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 22/06/2026I want this quote on an inspirational poster in every office 010
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 01/06/2026If you want to contribute to any of our three projects (ManyTones, CLAPS, Many Uses), you can reach out to the project leads. You will find their contact information here: many-languages.com/projects.htmlmany-languages.comProjects 053
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeChristina Bergmann @chbergma.bsky.social · 07/06/2026Big Team Science projects like @manybabies.org @themanybirds.bsky.social etc. are brilliant for more reasons that this short piece can cover, including their openness to researchers from all contexts and backgrounds - you don't even need to have access to the target population! #OpenScience 0187
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 08/06/2026It’s fine, BUT my honest opinion is that joint first authorship is a bit of a myth as it won’t be preserved in reference sections, databases etc. But final authorship can sometimes be as good as first authorship in some fields if it denotes PI status - possibly that could work here?! 100
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeDaniel Lakens @lakens.bsky.social · 18/05/2026New interactive simulation in my online textbook illustrating publication bias in meta-analyses, and some techniques to model bias-adjusted effect sizes. None of these work perfectly. We need an unbiased literature to draw valid inferences. lakens.github.io/statistical_... 14014
Reposted by Ben AmbridgePeter Tennant @pwgtennant.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Does engaging with the arts help to slow the aging process? According to this new paper from Fancourt et al the answer is yes! Alas, the paper is actually unsuitable for such claims. Let’s examine by discussing how you'd establish whether arts engagement actually caused future health! 1/18 🧵academic.oup.comDoes leisure activity matter for epigenetic ageing? Analyses of arts engagement and physical activity in the UK Household Longitudinal StudyAbstractBackground and Objectives. Over the past decade, ageing clocks have become widely adopted as important tools for understanding biological ageing an 813160
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeAndrea Nini @andreanini.com · 10/04/2026After years in preprint, our paper is finally out! We introduce LambdaG, a simple new authorship verification method that matches complex neural approaches. This supports the theory of grammar as a behavioural biometric (like a signature or gait). www.nature.com/articles/s41... #nlp #llm #forensicnature.comGrammar as a behavioral biometric: using cognitively motivated grammar models for authorship verification - Humanities and Social Sciences CommunicationsHumanities and Social Sciences Communications - Grammar as a behavioral biometric: using cognitively motivated grammar models for authorship verification 084
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 23/03/2026To paraphrase Thomas Edison (or whoever actually said it) Statistical analysis is 1% Investigation and 99% Preparation. Most mistakes I see (and make!) result from rushing too quickly to model building! 050
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · 27/02/2026This month’s #ManyLanguagesChallengeOfTheMonth comes from the world of **grammatical acceptability judgments** by the ML2 CLAPS team. @ambridge.bsky.social 152
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 19/02/20262/2 For å lære mer om undersøkelsen, og delta anonymt, vennligst registrert deg via Prolific.com gjennom følgende link: app.prolific.com/register/par...prolific.comProlific | Easily collect high-quality data from real peopleProlific helps AI developers, researchers, and organizations easily access the highest-quality human data. Sign up for free. 000
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Er du interessert i mysteriene bak det norske språket? Forskere ved Universitetet i Manchester gjennomfører en online undersøkelse som involverer å vurdere ord og setninger, med mål om å avdekke noen av disse mysteriene. Du vil motta finansiell kompensasjon for deltagelsen din. 1/2 100
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 11/02/2026Another @jstordaily.bsky.social popular-Psychology post lead-authored by one of my Psychology undergrads - here, Maliha Idow daily.jstor.org/face-value-c...daily.jstor.orgFace Value: Can You Spot a Cheater at First Glance? - JSTOR DailyLooking for love this holiday season? Science suggests first-glance impressions may offer tiny signals about personality, trust, and even cheating tendencies. 010
Ben Ambridge @ambridge.bsky.social · 11/02/2026Most years, one or two of the students on my Psychology in the Real World course pitch a popular psychology blog post to @jstordaily.bsky.social - Here's the most recent, by Aabhya Parnami daily.jstor.org/love-is-blin...daily.jstor.orgLove Is Blind … but Are Your Hormones? - JSTOR DailyDo women’s attraction to certain faces really change across the menstrual cycle? A long-running theory meets modern data. 010
Reposted by Ben AmbridgeInternational Association for the Study of Child Language @iasclchildlang.bsky.social · 11/02/2026The journal "Language Development Research" is now an official journal of the IASCL! LDR's intended audience is all researchers and professionals with an interest in language development and related fields. Read more on our website: www.childlanguage.org/ldr 051