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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This week's Cooperation Colloquium: Patricia Kanngiesser @patkanngiesser.bsky.social Sustaining cooperation in intra- and inter-generational resource dilemmas Date: October 2 Time: 15:00 UTC+2 (Vienna) / 9am NYC Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...

Abstract: The world faces escalating environmental crises that demand cooperation within and across generations. Experimental games provide a testbed for studying sustainable decision-making and cooperation in a safe and controlled environment and for exploring underlying factors. In this talk, I will give an overview of past and ongoing research with children and adults, focusing on inter- and intra-generational sustainability dilemmas. In past work, we have shown that groups of children from two cultures successfully collaborated in a threshold public-goods game using water as a real resource (Kanngiesser et al., 2024). In recent work, we have employed a newly developed harvesting game with a depletable resource to study cooperation across generations of players—specifically, whether participants will adjust their harvesting behaviour and conserve resources better when they know that another, future player will depend on them. I will present new data from both adult participants and cross-cultural child participants on whether they make decisions that benefit themselves and/or future others. For adults, we also explore the role of task framing, cognitive factors (e.g. numeracy), and Social Value Orientation in their decision-making. I will discuss specific challenges of inter-generational collaboration: people might be motivated to benefit future others but might not know how to act to improve their own and others’ outcomes.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Worth noting that Berlin's current government (who just got voted out) have actively sought to dismantle cycling infrastructure. It's been a while since I lived in Berlin, but I wouldn't be surprised if Somerville had made more progress than Berlin in that time.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Das ist doch in diesem Feld (financial econometrics) schon lange der Fall. Noch dazu ist der Typ Ü60 und lange tenured. Die alte Leier von den falschen Anreizen passt hier hinten wie vorne nicht.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ich hab Textbausteine mit deinen Blogposts...

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I sign my reviews so people don't think it's you, too

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So far, I can confirm that it must be a number > 4. Guess I need to try 5 next time, just to make sure...

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Everybody's posting about politics; meanwhile I'm here wondering whether there's a legal limit to the number of arepas I'm allowed to eat in a single sitting

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Our first speaker this week is Kasper Otten (WODC/Erasmus University Rotterdam): The co-occurrence of ingroup and outgroup prosociality across 121 societies Friday, September 18 15:00 UTC+2 (Vienna) / 9am NYT / 21 Beijing Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...

Abstract: In an increasingly interconnected world, prosociality across group boundaries becomes ever more important. Yet, a common premise in the behavioral and social sciences is that people are prosocial mainly toward their ingroup and not outgroups. So far, evidence for this premise comes mostly from studies in which people must choose between ingroup and outgroup prosociality, thereby precluding positive associations between the two types of prosociality. We study situations in which people make separate decisions regarding the ingroup and outgroup, allowing us to examine how ingroup and outgroup prosociality are related. Across six large-scale and cross-societal datasets spanning 743,402 individuals in 121 societies, we find a robust positive relationship between ingroup and outgroup prosociality. This relationship holds across societies, different group categorizations, and a diverse range of prosociality measures, including prisoner’s dilemmas, public good dilemmas, dictator games, and survey items on trust and tolerance. Although people are somewhat more prosocial toward their ingroup than the outgroup, those who are prosocial toward the ingroup also tend to be prosocial toward the outgroup. The results offer an optimistic message for prosociality across group boundaries. When people are not made to choose between the ingroup and outgroup, they are generally prosocial toward both.

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We're hiring a PhD candidate in Fair Climate Policy! Deadline to apply: 2 October werkenbij.rug.nl/vacature/pro... (Please note: Carina Havenga de Poel & @gpalomovelez.bsky.social are the contact people, and job interviews will take place in late October) @rug-gmw.bsky.social @rug.nl

werkenbij.rug.nl

Promovendus Rechtvaardig Klimaatbeleid - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I've never read any Beckett (despite living above a bar called Godot for a while in Berlin). Anything you could recommend as a starting point?

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Autumn 2026 Cooperation Colloquia We have an exciting interdisciplinary series of speakers with Kasper Otten, @patkanngiesser.bsky.social, @charlesefferson.bsky.social @nikoletaglyn.bsky.social, Cameron Curtin, & Devesh Rustagi Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...

List of speakers:
2026-09-18 | Kasper Otten (WODC / Erasmus University Rotterdam) | The co-occurrence of ingroup and outgroup prosociality across 121 societies
2026-10-02 | Patricia Kanngiesser (University of Plymouth)
2026-10-16 | Charles Efferson (Université de Lausanne)
2026-10-30 | Nikoleta Glynatsi (RIKEN Center for Computational Science)
2026-11-13 | Cameron Curtin (IAST)
2026-12-11 | Devesh Rustagi (University of Warwick)

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

"This book gave me a headache." "Me too. Somebody hit me right on the head with it." No idea about the other two.

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Julien Combe @combeju.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

My answer

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I recently moved back to Linux and it was like returning home.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I find this difficult as a reviewer. I don't like asking for additional studies, but sometimes that's the only path I see to publication. Usually I'll put in a message to the editor, so at least the editor has to ask the authors explicitly for additional data.

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Gonzalo Palomo Vélez @gpalomovelez.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We are hiring a joint-PhD candidate with SCP to study how people perceive climate policies and more generally what’s fair climate policy. Come do research with us! — werkenbij.rug.nl/vacature/pro...

werkenbij.rug.nl

Promovendus Rechtvaardig Klimaatbeleid - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Any sufficiently advanced technology purchased by a university is indistinguishable from malware

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Unfortunately the 'Economics' one is a real howler this year.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Two postdocs with the inimitable Anna Berti Suman in Padova, on personal narratives in climate litigation. Deadline September 14. Project overview: www.pastis-research.eu/the-persona-... Text mining: www.fisppa.unipd.it/bando-2026cr..., Legal ethnography: www.fisppa.unipd.it/bando-2026cr....

pastis-research.eu

The PersoNa — Personal Narratives in Climate Litigation - Pa.S.T.I.S.

The PersoNa — Personal Narratives in Climate LitigationMUR Starting Grant FIS-2023-01203 · University of Padova, FISPPA Department · 2026–2029About the

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The key experiments cited are, watching videos of nature vs urban env improves stress recovery, n = 120; doi.org/10.1016/S027... a 50-minute walk in nature vs. urban env improves mood, n = 20; doi.org/10.1016/j.ja... But yeah, "experiments have found..."

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A lot of this research is really bad. One of these effects people just *want* to be true, so researchers can get away with shoddy crosssectional analyses and handwaving.

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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Based on our GWAS of personality I have an academic/data driven reflection on new challenges to the environmental path from parental personality toe child personality. I could put it on my substack (bleg) or add to my near non existend blog, but I have no reach, anyone willing to let me guest blog?

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

If a guy keeps finding the same headline-grabbing, non-replicable result again and again and again, that should indeed make you laugh, then think -- laugh in despair, then think about how to do better.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

That stupid 'upper-class drivers' (actually, more expensive cars) don't stop for pedestrians study? Failed to replicate: psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/...

psycnet.apa.org

APA PsycNet

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Piff also has a long list of studies thag have failed to replicate. Even if the research isn't fraudulent, this makes a big mess for other people who then have to clean up the literature. The best work in this area finds no evidence that richer people are more antisocial.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

1) denial 2) anger 3) bargaining 4) depression 5) major revisions

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I assume you've seen @markfabian.bsky.social's preprint on this? osf.io/preprints/ps...

osf.io

OSF

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

That sounds so cool! A formal theory of the self-report process, amazing. Would *love* to read that. And I'll keep you posted on our project.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

That sounds so cool! I've hoping to do some interview-based work on ESM responses -- really curious to read about your findings once they're out.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I can probably share her thesis once it's marked. Will have to see if/when we can then this into a paper. This was my first foray into qual research and sitting in on some of the pilot interviews was fascinating. Should probably routinely do this in scale development.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

One of my students just completed an interview study on just that -- how people generate their answers on personality questionnaires. There's real heterogeneity there, from "pure vibes" to quibbling over the exact meaning of particular words. Even within subjects across different items!

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Nach so vielen Jahren im Ausland vergesse ich manchmal, wie deutsch Deutschland ist.

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Stephanie Wang @sweiwang.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

🚨Elsevier forces out Games and Economic Behavior (GEB) Editor, entire editorial board has resigned, current board only handling new submissions until Nov. 14 #econsky

Dear Advisory Editor of GEB
We are very sorry to be the bearers of bad news for GEB.
I learned from Elsevier on Wednesday July 28 that, contrary to my expressed willingness to continue, my 3-year contract will not be renewed.
"Moving towards a closer alignment with Elsevier strategic priorities and publishing policies" was offered as the motive for this decision. Requests for explanations, first by me, then in a collective letter by the other six Editors, were dismissed by Elsevier which simply reaffirmed its legal power to make such decisions.
Elsevier then started precipitously its own search for new Editors without input of the Editorial Board.
By Friday August 14 all seven Editors have sent their resignation, requiring a 3-month advance notice.
Therefore, we will continue to manage as before the papers currently under review and the new submissions until Saturday November 14. After this date we will only complete the evaluation of papers still waiting an editorial decision.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Interesting idea: is anthropology divided more by ontology than by epistemology? It certainly rings true in the sense that cultural anthros (and qual psychologists) rarely appear interested in the same subject matter as quant social scientists across disciplines (such as 'cooperation').

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

There is one other "S Columbus", a materials scientist based in the UAE. I've subscribed to updates, though I never even understand the titles of her papers 😅

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Wir haben eine Stelle in der Entwicklungspsychologie offen. Und bei uns ist's noch kühler als in Edinburgh!

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

No idea how changing the literal quotes on which your qualitative analysis is based is just a correction rather than a retraction, but i guess it's an MDPI journal, so not to be taken seriously to begin with.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Fascinating that people continue to defend Arday, incl Zach Polanski. Arday has already corrected two papers, including one where he removed or altered quotes from supposed participants which had word-for-word overlap with another paper. How's that for plagiarism? retractionwatch.com/2026/07/27/c...

retractionwatch.com

Exclusive: News outlet killed story on plagiarism allegations after Cambridge prof hired law firm

Jason Arday In September 2025, Times Higher Education had a bombshell story in the works: A star sociology professor at the University of Cambridge had allegedly plagiarized parts of his Ph.D. thes…

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Yeah, was gonna say -- the first recipe you posted doesn't even contain cool whip. When I convinced my Michigander flatmate to host Midwest Fest, she made no fewer than three 'salads' with cool whip. Upset my stomach for a good week.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

In principle, REF should incentivise departments to push for fewer, better papers. In practice, that doesn't seem to happen (but I'd love to see evidence on this question). Either way, it's an opaque and costly process.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

It's striking that Prien blames 'polarisation' instead of calling it what it is -- an increasingly strong far right.

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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

No ads during Sendung mit der Maus. Was there other TV? (I remember finding myself at a disadvantage in kindergarten because I did not know which Power Ranger colours were permissible)

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