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Rebecca Zhu

@rebeccazoo.bsky.social
735 followers 307 following 15 posts

Post-doc in Psychology at Stanford studying children's acquisition of symbolic systems

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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Russ Poldrack @russpoldrack.org · 29/08/2026
*Sharing for our department’s trainees* 🧠 Looking for insight on applying to PhD programs in psychology? ✨ Apply by Sep 21st to Stanford Psychology's 10th annual Paths to a Psychology PhD info session/workshop to have all of your questions answered! 📝 Application: forms.gle/4nujgDd3W2tx...
forms.gle
Paths to a Psychology Ph.D.: An Information Session and Workshop
Join Stanford Psychology graduate students, research assistants, and faculty for a free one-day virtual information session and workshop on applying to research positions and Ph.D. programs in psychol...
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
simine vazire @simine.com · 12/08/2026
It’s amazing what Brian and OSF have done for science. I can imagine how hard the folks at COS must’ve worked to avoid this outcome. I’m extremely grateful to them for creating the reality we live in now. The fact that we’ll miss these services so acutely is a testament to how much they shaped us.
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
If you’re at #cogsci2026, please come see presentations by some of the great folks collaborating with the Language and Cognition Lab at Stanford!
LangCog lab talks and posters at cogsci2026
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
New preprint! How do children’s drawing abilities develop in contexts where they have relatively fewer drawing opportunities? In a study with 120 Kisumu, Kenya children, we find that children produce more recognizable drawings with age and with drawing experience. osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io
OSF
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Judy Fan @judithfan.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The Cognitive Tools Lab at Stanford (cogtoolslab.github.io) is recruiting two new research staff members to join in AY 26-27. Full-Time Lab Manager: forms.gle/UVwfx5wbY9Km.... IRiSS Predoc Researcher: iriss.stanford.edu/predoc/2026-.... Please share widely in your networks, thank you!!
cogtoolslab.github.io
about the lab – cognitive tools lab
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
This July, we are holding a virtual hackathon to explore LEVANTE data! If you're interested in data analysis, development, and cross-cultural variability, please join us! First week is open, second week is by application with mentorship on group projects. levante-hackathon-2026.github.io
Hackathon page screenshot
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Dr. Joscelin Rocha-Hidalgo 🇧🇴🏳️‍🌈 @joscelinrocha.com · 21/02/2026
ManyBabies8: Screen Use 📱 MB8 aims to document early screen use across diverse cultural contexts & examine links to language & socio-emotional development in children under 3. We’re inviting you to join! Interested? 🔗 Fill out our short survey: forms.gle/7ASVadD7LT4j... More: manybabies.org/MB8/
manybabies.org
MB8
Screen Use
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Bria Long @brialong.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
The Visual Learning Lab is hiring TWO lab coordinators! Both positions are ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Application deadline is Feb 10th (approaching fast!)—with flexible summer start dates.
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Selynn Lee 쉬시턴 / 셀린 리 @selynnlee.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Tea Break🫖
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Very excited to share the first empirical paper from LEVANTE: we describe the LEVANTE core tasks, a set of nine open source tasks for measuring learning and development in kids ages 5-12 years. osf.io/preprints/ps... 🧵
title linescreenshots from the nine tasks
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Now in press at Topics in Cognitive Science! We review children's understanding of different kinds of visual media across contexts, and argue that this work has important implications for childhood learning and assessment tools @cogscisociety.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Cross‐Contextual Variability in Children's Early Understanding of Visual Media
This article investigates when and how children come to understand various kinds of visual media (e.g., pictures, videos, scale models), and how early experience might contribute to variation in the ....
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 27/10/2025
My goodness. Please don’t send in ghosts. They are very frightening. We only rate dogs. Thank you... 12/10 (IG: theodore.goldenvelt)
ahh! a small fluffy ghost sits on a hardwood floor staring directly at us. but actually... the longer we take it in, the more cute the ghost becomes. one could even mistake this little guy for a golden retriever puppy wearing a sheet with eye, ear, and mouth holes cut out of it. even though he gave us a fright, we would still pet this ghost puppy.
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anjie cao | 曹安洁 @anjiecao.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
1/ Alright, this one’s been sitting in my drawer for a year now, after @mcxfrank.bsky.social and I got turned down for a public commentary. But before I forget about it completely, here’s the preprint: Can we harvest insights for rice theory from two state farms in China? osf.io/preprints/ps...
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Our position paper is now out: "Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE): A Global Framework for Measuring Children's Learning Variability Through Collaborative Data Sharing". srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... (preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...) What is LEVANTE? 🧵
Screenshot of paper title
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
My final project from grad school is out now in Dev Psych! Mombasa County preschoolers were more accurate on object-based than picture-based vocabulary assessments, whereas Bay Area preschoolers were equally accurate on object-based and picture-based assessments. psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...
psycnet.apa.org
APA PsycNet
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Looking forward to #cogsci2025 next week - here's a list of presentations from my lab!
Presentation list for language and cognition lab at CogSci 2025.
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Jessica Sommerville @jessicas.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
🚨 Postdoc Opportunity!!! The Toronto Early Cognition Lab (@UofT) is hiring a postdoc to study early optimism in infants & young children. Work w/ multi-method approach, amazing undergrads & grads. Start: Fall 2025 or later. Details: jessica.sommerville@utoronto.ca RTs appreciated 💫
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Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
Sometimes when I am having a bad day I remember that after my TED talk in 2016 this woman mobbed me afterwards and threw herself on me with the hugest hug saying "Oh my god you were incredible and inspirational I want to BE you" It was Cher
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
We're still accepting apps for our research scientist position with LEVANTE (levante-network.org). This position is ideal for folks wanting to be the interface between a cool scientific project and an awesome team of software developers. Think of it as a technical product manager, but for science!
We are seeking a Research Scientist for a large-scale project on developmental data collection with children ages 2-12 called LEVANTE (Learning Variability Network Exchange). LEVANTE is a global research network to improve our understanding of variability in learning and development through coordinated data collection. The project is funded by the Jacobs Foundation; learn more at http://levante-network.org.

This position is a mix of scientific work and work with a software development team: we are looking for someone to act as the interface between the scientific goals of the project and our team of ~6 software engineers who work to implement different aspects of our web platform including researcher management, tasks and surveys, and data processing. We expect the role to be ideal for someone with technical experience from their scientific work and an interest in building good tools for other scientists through software development. 

This position is appropriate for recent PhD grads and candidates with postdoctoral experience; exact title and compensation will be relative to experience post-PhD. The RS will contribute to – and have the opportunity to lead on – research products including papers and presentations. The LEVANTE team is a large and lively group pushing the boundaries of cross-cultural developmental measurement through a combination of technical innovation and psychometrics. The RS will also be part of the Language and Cognition Lab at Stanford, a broad interdisciplinary group interested in using data to understand human development. 
Requirements for the position include:
- some kind of scientific software development experience (examples include developing experiments, computational models, or complex data analyses)
- theoretical knowledge of psychology or a related discipline (e.g., cognitive science, neuroscience), ideally doing behavioral measurements of some kind 
- project management experience on a technical or scientific project with multiple participants

Additional optional qualifications include:
- experience with modern database-backed web applications 
- experience with measure development or psychometrics
- R data analysis experience

Applicants should submit a current CV, a short (~1 page) coverletter stating their qualifications for the position, and a link to a github account (preferred) or other code sample.
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
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...
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
New year, new paper! 4- and 5-year-olds can represent abstract relations (i.e., sameness and difference) predicated on an abstract dimension (i.e., kind membership) in a relational match-to-sample task. Moreover, noun label training facilitates task performance. direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
direct.mit.edu
Preschoolers Represent Abstract Relations Predicated on Kind Membership
Abstract. Recent work demonstrates that U.S. preschoolers can represent the abstract relational concepts same and different when these abstract relational concepts are predicated upon perceptual dimen...
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David Barner @drbarner.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Want to review for #CogSci2025? Click this thing. @cogscisociety.bsky.social docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
CogSci 2025 Call for Reviewers
CogSci is looking for abstract reviewers for the 2025 conference in San Francisco. If you are interested in this role, please complete the following form. If you have any questions, please contact cog...
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Gareth Roberts @garicgymro.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
RIP Kristian Tylén. I had been unaware of his illness so this really took me by surprise today. A real loss to the field, to his family, and to humanity. arts.au.dk/en/news-and-...
arts.au.dk
Obituary: Kristian Tylén had a unique combination of intellect, creativity and collaborative spirit
Aarhus University has lost an ingenious scientist and a generous friend and mentor for his colleagues and students.
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
New registered report out in Developmental Science! We find a positive relation between urban western Kenyan toddlers’ picture experience and their performance on a picture-based word learning task, but no relation in a similar rural sample. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Development of Picture Comprehension Across Early Environments: Evidence From Urban and Rural Toddlers in Western Kenya
Early childhood researchers frequently use learning materials and assessments involving pictures, across different cultures and contexts. However, there is variation in when and how children across c...
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 21/10/2024
Do you like building great tools for behavioral measurement? We are seeking a Research Scientist to act as the tasks lead and engineering manager for a large-scale project on developmental data collection with children ages 2-12 called LEVANTE: levante-network.org.
This position is a PhD-level position, with the expectation that the RS will contribute to – and have the opportunity to lead on – research products including papers and presentations. The RS will also be part of the Language and Cognition Lab at Stanford, a broad interdisciplinary group interested in using data to understand human development. 

Ideal qualifications/experiences for the position include:
- creating behavioral experiments (ideally for children), with attention to the small details of the participants' experience in the experiment
- psychological measurement and/or psychometrics (including item response theory and/or adaptive testing)
- software development using version control and project management software
- web-development, including javascript/HTML/CSS, cloud-based hosting, and modern frameworks (e.g., react.js)
- experience working with teams and an orientation towards managing a small team of engineers working on the project (e.g. scrum)
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Reposted by Rebecca Zhu
Russ Poldrack @russpoldrack.org · 09/08/2024
The Psychology Department at Stanford is searching for an assistant professor whose work focuses on affective science. Please apply and/or forward to your networks! facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
facultypositions.stanford.edu
Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Assistant Professor, Psychology
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Rebecca Zhu @rebeccazoo.bsky.social · 19/07/2024
New paper with Mariel Goddu, Lily Zihui Zhu, and @alisongopnik.bsky.social, now out at Open Mind! In three experiments, we show that 4- and 5-year-olds can understand metaphors based on abstract, functional similarities. direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
direct.mit.edu
Preschoolers’ Comprehension of Functional Metaphors
Abstract. Previous work suggests that preschoolers often misunderstand metaphors. However, some recent studies demonstrate that preschoolers can represent abstract relations, suggesting that the cogni...
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 05/07/2024
People are really good at creating conventions - new ways of talking - during dialogues. But what happens in larger groups? And what about when people can only respond using 😁?! New paper by Veronica Boyce, Robert Hawkins, Noah Goodman, and me, now out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 21/06/2024
Introducing LEVANTE, a project for measuring children's developmental and learning variability around the world! LEVANTE provides a measurement platform with data flowing to an open repository. In August, the Jacobs Foundation will make a call for proposals to use these tools! levante-network.org
levante-network.org
Homepage - Levante
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Bria Long @brialong.bsky.social · 25/03/2024
📣 I'm hiring a lab coordinator! This position is ideal for someone looking for research experience before applying to graduate school. Deadline is April 1st—flexible summer start date. Details and instructions below! employment.ucsd.edu/laboratory-c...
employment.ucsd.edu
Laboratory Coordinator - 128818
Apply for Laboratory Coordinator - 128818 position at UC San Diego in La Jolla, California on https://employment.ucsd.edu/
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Dorsa Amir @dorsaamir.bsky.social · 02/04/2024
📣 Now hiring for two positions at the (newly minted) Mind & Culture Lab at Duke University! I'm seeking a full-time lab manager & a full-time postdoctoral associate to join the team, ideally this August (flexible). See below for more information and QR codes to access the application portals.
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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 08/02/2024
Hey cognitive development folks - anyone tried having 5-8 year olds do online tasks with either mouse/trackpad responses or arrow key responses? Do you have an opinion on the issues with either? Trying to design tasks for kids on different platforms (inc. computer as well as tablet).
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ManyBabies @manybabies.org · 12/01/2024
In addition to sending to @shariliu.bsky.social, if anyone wants to share their Dev Psych teaching tools more broadly -- send them to us and we'll set up an open repository! #devpsych #openscience
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Emily Liquin @emilyliquin.bsky.social · 16/10/2023
Hi Bluesky! I’m recruiting PhD students to help launch the Exploration, Learning, and Mind Lab at U of New Hampshire Psych in Fall 2024! Check out our lab website at liquinlab.github.io for more info, and feel free to get in touch if you’re interested in applying! #CogSci #DevPsych #PsychSciSky
liquinlab.github.io
ELM Lab @ UNH
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