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Lara Wood

@larawood.bsky.social
119 followers 73 following 24 posts

Reader in Psychology at Abertay University. Research on how children think about others (social cognition) and how others influence children (social learning and influence) including #imitation #genderstereotypes #epistemicvigilence #sociallearning

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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
You may find the following article interesting: a methods paper advocating for this method within Developmental Psychology including the theoretical benefits, a discussion of challenges, and practical recommendations. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Naturalistic Observations of Children and Adolescents in Diverse Contexts: Methods, Challenges and Recommendations
The understanding of child development benefits from varied research approaches, including those that reflect the complexity of children's experiences across diverse and real-world contexts. This art...
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
@chimpanzeve.bsky.social It was fab to work on this with you!
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We conclude by proposing a @manybabies.org -esque "ManyObservations" collaboration. Please get in touch if interested!
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We hope this will be useful addition to any developmental psychology researchers and/or educators wanting to understand more about the benefits and approaches within naturalistic observations.
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
We draw on our recent experience of a naturalistic video observation study of children and adolescents in Scotland, the Republic of Congo, and Chinese-Americans in Seattle USA involving a significant amount of local collaboration and partnership @sheinalew.bsky.social @jing-xu.bsky.social
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
As part of our ESRC-funded project on age-based imitation, we have produced a methods paper reflecting on naturalistic observations of children and adolescents in diverse contexts, detailing methods, challenges and recommendations doi.org/10.1002/icd....
doi.org
Naturalistic Observations of Children and Adolescents in Diverse Contexts: Methods, Challenges and Recommendations
The understanding of child development benefits from varied research approaches, including those that reflect the complexity of children's experiences across diverse and real-world contexts. This art...
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Sheina Lew-Levy @sheinalew.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Recently we had a paper rejected from a major journal™️. Embedded within some helpful feedback were comments on our null results from a pre-registered experiment. One reviewer was very complimentary, but rejected our paper because the findings were "weak" (1/3)
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Sheina Lew-Levy @sheinalew.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
🚨 In the first publication from our ESRC-funded project on age-based imitation, we asked parents their views on what and how children in four communities should learn from peers and adults. www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy...
frontiersin.org
Frontiers | Parental perspectives on children’s social learning in four cultures
Social learning is key to the accumulation and transmission of cultural knowledge that underpins human evolutionary success. Cultural context is critical for...
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 01/10/2025
"If we lose hope, we're doomed." We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.
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The Psychologist @psychmag.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
RIP Jane Goodall... this documentary made a deep impression on me www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...
bps.org.uk
A public and private persona | BPS
Kirsty Graham (University of York) examines the contradictions in a new documentary about Jane Goodall.
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Jane totally changed the conversation on animal culture, tool use, emotions and communication. She was a fierce advocate for animals but also paved women’s rights to be explorers, scientists, and activists. I introduced her to my own baby primate many moons ago. Jane, have fun with David Greybeard 💛
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Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.
yahoo.com
Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel
Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says
The panel finds that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out against Palestinians during the war.
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Race Isn’t Biological — So Why Do So Many Still Think It Is? @kevinlala.bsky.social and @kztwyman.bsky.social blog about their recent paper in the journal Evolutionary Human Sciences www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
Image from the blog showing 5 solutions to countering scientific racism

1. Introduce students to the complexities of developmental processes
2. Introduce students to the complexities of inheritance processes
3. Explain that variation between racialised groups in behavioural and cultural traits is not caused by genetic differences
4. Debunk scientific racism in school and university level science curricula
5. Acknowledge and contextualised the racist histories of academic fields
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Kevin Lala @kevinlala.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Our article "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience" (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social, @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marc Feldman) is now published online. We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them. doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
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ProfBarbaraKerr @barbarakerr.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
This is an important essay. Surprisingly the comments push back, with only scant evidence to support arguments for the use of race as a biological construct. Medicine Still Treats Race as Biology. As a Physician, I Choose Evidence Instead. www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
medpagetoday.com
Opinion | Medicine Still Treats Race as Biology. As a Physician, I Choose Evidence Instead.
Treatment should be tailored to underlying causes of poor health
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Amazing work- you might be interested in my recent paper- onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Melanie Walsh @mellymeldubs.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
For the @puddingviz.bsky.social, I explored which animals we gender, and why. Come for the extremely cute interactive viz of animals, stay for the extremely nerdy etymology of the ladybug. Story: pudding.cool/2025/07/kids...
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Great article showing that animal characters are gendered in children's books too- pudding.cool/2025/07/kids... (see onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... for my study looking at this in films)
pudding.cool
Bears Will Be Boys
A data analysis of animal gender in children’s books
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End Sexism In Schools @endsexisminschools.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
What can schools do to help end sexism? Dr Lara Wood, Reader in Socio-Cognitive Development at Abertay University, argues that to end sexism and misogyny in schools, we need to start young and be proactive in positively challenging children’s behaviour. @larawood.bsky.social
endsexisminschools.org.uk
What can schools do to help end sexism? - End Sexism in Schools
The question "what can schools do to end sexism?" is a hot topic. Dr Lara Wood gives 8 simple actions for schools beyond PSHE.
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39556747/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Genes, culture, and scientific racism - PubMed
Quantitative studies of cultural evolution and gene-culture coevolution (henceforth "CE" and "GCC") emerged in the 1970s, in the aftermath of the "race and intelligence quotient (IQ)" and "human socio...
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 19/06/2025
#Resistance tools from bsky.app/profile/whys... when asked “why are we funding this” from uncles & Senators alike. www.americanscientist.org/article/%E2%... Shoutout bsky.app/profile/amer... for keeping the lights on while we reclaim #Science from the privatizing dismantlers. #StandUpForScience
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Delighted to write a blog for @endsexisminschools.bsky.social prodiving some evidence-based tips on how educators can challenge sexism in schools endsexisminschools.org.uk/what-can-sch...
endsexisminschools.org.uk
What can schools do to help end sexism? - End Sexism in Schools
The question "what can schools do to end sexism?" is a hot topic. Dr Lara Wood gives 8 simple actions for schools beyond PSHE.
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Make Space for Girls @makespaceforgirls.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Great to see the conversation in the US around how gender-blind design leaves girls out of parks. Also great to see Brickfield Park in Bath mentioned – co-created with teenage girls, alongside inspiring examples from Vienna. Awareness is growing! nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
nextcity.org
Our Public Spaces Are Failing Teen Girls
Op-ed: Adolescent girls are missing from parks, playgrounds — and our gender-blind urban planning. So let’s ask them what they need.
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Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 05/06/2025
Join us on the @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social executive committee! Shape the field of cultural evolution alongside amazing colleagues @maximederex.bsky.social, @nicolewen.bsky.social, @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social, @lucymaplin.bsky.social, @ferylbadiani.bsky.social & incoming President Fiona Jordan
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Really important work here from @daveleavens.bsky.social and team. Will be covering this in next year's teaching
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Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
It's CES election time! We have FOUR positions that have come up for renewal, so please consider nominating yourself or your colleagues. Nominations close June 20th, with voting from June 30th -July 4th.
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Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
🚨 CE PhD opportunity! @onicatam.bsky.social is looking for PhD applicants interested in projects related to cultural evolution or language evolution for a fully funded scholarships at the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNH532/s...
jobs.ac.uk
School of Social Sciences PhD Studentship (Psychology) at Heriot-Watt University
Find a School of Social Sciences PhD Studentship (Psychology) on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board in higher education. Click to view more!
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Sheina Lew-Levy @sheinalew.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Did you know that our field guide to cross-cultural research on childhood learning is completely FREE? books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp...
books.openbookpublishers.com
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2521782... @socialdevelopment.bsky.social
heraldscotland.com
'Harmful gender stereotypes' in children being shaped by popular animated films
Popular animated films could be shaping harmful gender stereotypes in films, according to new research from Abertay University.
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Kevin Lala @kevinlala.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
there are times when the dangers of inaction become sufficiently threatening to individuals or the planet that scientists who are able and willing to do so will have to enter the public arena and bring their voices to debates of critical societal importance. This is such a time.
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Lynda Boothroyd @drboothroyd.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
A common claim in #EvoPsych is that the persistence of psychological sex differences in gender-egalitarian* countries shows that the differences are innate. I've argued that ignores the highly-gender-unequal media environment. Now @larawood.bsky.social has proved me right! #EHBEA #HBES
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
I've just finished reading @anthrofuentes.bsky.social's book #SexIsASpectrum, a digestible, & evidence-packed exploration of the issues around oversimplifying and essentialising sex/gender. I wish this was a core textbook for all human science fields! press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu
Sex Is a Spectrum
Why human biology is far more expansive than the simple categories of female and male
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Social Development @socialdevelopment.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Children’s animated films inaccurately and consistently portray predators as male and prey as female. Young children learn and maintain these gender stereotypes into adulthood.   See thread by @larawood.bsky.social or read the whole paper onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Mr Predator and Mrs Prey: Gender Stereotypes in Children's Films Correlate With Explicit and Implicit Gender Stereotyping
Children acquire gender stereotypes at a young age and these subsequently influence cognition and behavior. Stereotypes may be learned through a child's direct observation of gender differences as we...
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Sheina Lew-Levy @sheinalew.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
I'm THRILLED that our book is out. This book, with other 60 contributors from across the globe (!!!) is a love letter to the science we want to do, and a how-to guide for how to do it. Please read it and share it!
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Thanks for RT Rebecca!
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
PS It was a great experience working with @socialdevelopment.bsky.social's editorial team on this publication. Fair and constructive reviews throughout.
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
So... it would be great if we could recognise how culture shapes our (oftentimes innacurate) concepts of gender and be more proactive in challenging both the concepts and their sources! Thanks for watching folks!
media.tenor.com
a cartoon of a lion and a warthog with the words thank you above them
ALT: a cartoon of a lion and a warthog with the words thank you above them
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
This demonstrates how cultural products (media) can influence people's gender concepts and these concepts likely influence subsequent behaviour, creating a cycle of stereotyping. And a "males as predatory and females as prey" stereotype is problematic for everyone.
media.tenor.com
a lion mascot is standing in front of a crowd of police officers and asking what 's the matter with them .
ALT: a lion mascot is standing in front of a crowd of police officers and asking what 's the matter with them .
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
I then tested whether kids & adults showed the same associations using both explicit and implicit measures. They all did - even as young as 4yo. Kids aren't learning these associations from direct experience with animals, they're learning them from media portrayals.
media.tenor.com
a cartoon snake with hypnotic eyes and the words trust in me trust in me
ALT: a cartoon snake with hypnotic eyes and the words trust in me trust in me
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
For ~ 1,900 animal characters I found that 75% were male (!) but even after accounting for this imblance, there were clear gendered associations; 85% of predator characters were male. For female characters, prey outnumbered predators four to one.
media.tenor.com
a fox and a rabbit standing next to each other holding a carrot
ALT: a fox and a rabbit standing next to each other holding a carrot
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Here, I tested whether there is an innacurate "predator as male" and "prey as female" association in kids' movies and people's minds. First, I studied children's animated films with anthropomorphised animals (e.g., The Lion King).
media.tenor.com
a lion cub from the lion king is sleeping on a couch with a person petting it .
ALT: a lion cub from the lion king is sleeping on a couch with a person petting it .
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Lara Wood @larawood.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
🚨New publication... Children's films contain innacurate gender stereotypes and these corresespond to children's (and adult's) implicit and explicit gendered associations. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Read thread for more details...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Mr Predator and Mrs Prey: Gender Stereotypes in Children's Films Correlate With Explicit and Implicit Gender Stereotyping
Children acquire gender stereotypes at a young age and these subsequently influence cognition and behavior. Stereotypes may be learned through a child's direct observation of gender differences as we....
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Kevin Lala @kevinlala.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
I really enjoyed Adam Rutherford's book "Where are you really from?". It's a great book to give to kids to educate them about race and learn how modern science undermines racism. @adamrutherford.bsky.social
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 23/05/2025
📣 BREAKING NEWS: Harvard sues Trump administration over foreign student ban, calling move unconstitutional and a threat to academic freedom. “Harvard is not Harvard without its international students,” the university writes. www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
theguardian.com
Harvard sues Trump administration for blocking university’s ability to enroll international students – live
In a complaint filed in Boston federal court, Harvard called the revocation a ‘blatant violation of the US constitution’s first amendment
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Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
"Thinking time —the time needed to concentrate without interruptions has always been central to scholarly work. It is essential to designing experiments, compiling data, assessing results, reviewing literature and, of course, writing. Yet, [it] is often undervalued." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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Prof. Gillian Brown @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Enjoyed reading 'Sex is a Spectrum' by @anthrofuentes.bsky.social: "Human sex and gender are complicated. Every human body, and life, is a blend of biological and cultural processes, & nowhere is that more evident than sex biology". press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... @princetonupress.bsky.social 🧪
press.princeton.edu
Sex Is a Spectrum
Why human biology is far more expansive than the simple categories of female and male
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anthrofuentes.bsky.social @anthrofuentes.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Trump administration trying to ban Harvard from accepting international students and forcing current intl. students to transfer is key authoritarian move. The academy must unite to resist loudly and forcefully
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
"there is no single correct approach to addressing sex & gender in health research... researchers [should] bring careful attention to the incorporation of sex & gender considerations in ways that are appropriate for their research context & articulate the limitations of their chosen approaches"
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Limitations of the Male/Female Binary for Studying the Influences of Sex‐ and Gender‐Related Factors on Health
Momentum has been building for several decades around the value of incorporating sex and gender considerations in biomedical, clinical, and health research more broadly. In that period, there has bee...
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