Mikaela Spruill

AI Surrogates and illusions of generalizability in cognitive science Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated enthusiasm for using AI simulations of human research participants to generate new know…

Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/

Our lab’s first study is published in @pppl-journal.bsky.social! We review definitions used in psych & law to describe those wrongly involved in the legal system. doi.org/10.1037/law0000468

@gblancovelasco.com
@carinacardoso.bsky.social
@karlihamilton.bsky.social
@kimberleyclow.bsky.social

Please reach out to the organizers with any questions about the preconference or submissions.
@jadacopelandhayes.bsky.social @keturahragland.bsky.social @doctaphia.bsky.social @spruill.bsky.social

We also have an exciting line up of incredible speakers, including Courtney Bonam, Keturah Ragland, Jessica Remedios & Neil Lewis Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social. Join our line up with your submission by Oct. 23rd!!

We are also pleased to announce that we have partnered w/ Minds Matter Podcast @mindsmatter.bsky.social for a live episode w/ Phia Salter @doctaphia.bsky.social & Glenn Adams!! This enlightening conversation will delve into the current state of critical research and the future of our work in psych!

Advertisement for the Critical Perspectives in Psychology preconference. Displays the invited speakers names & pictures. Includes a QR code to the submission portal.

*We are 3 days away from the SPSP Preconference submission deadline!* If your research breaks boundaries in social psychology or you are applying exciting methods to your research, apply today!!

spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...

We're accepting abstract submissions for the Critical Psychology Preconference until Oct 23rd. Join us! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...

Come join us!!

Please reach out to the organizers Phia Salter, @jadacopelandhayes.bsky.social, @spruill.bsky.social & @keturahragland.bsky.social with any questions about the preconference and/or submissions.

We have an exciting line up of speakers already, including Courtney Bonam, Neil Lewis Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social, Jessica Remedios, and Keturah Ragland @keturahragland.bsky.social Join our line up with a submission by Oct. 23rd!!!

We are pleased to invite submissions for poster presentations, data blitzes and 15-minute talks on critical, interdisciplinary research in psychology! spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...

The Critical Perspectives in Psychology Preconference is back again for year two!! If your research breaks boundaries in mainstream social psych or you are applying exciting methods to your experimental research, our submissions are open! #SPSP2026

Democracy’s Day in Court Supreme Court watchers preview pivotal cases on voting rights, fair representation, and presidential power.

Join us on September 30 at 3 p.m. ET for a virtual discussion with legal experts and longtime Supreme Court watchers. They’ll break down some of the major cases on the Court's upcoming docket and explain what the outcomes could mean for the future of American democracy. RSVP: bit.ly/4nKeDFP

Supreme Court unanimously rejects the "moment-of-threat rule," which required courts to examine only the exact moment in which a police officer alleged that their safety had been threatened in determining whether they acted reasonably.

Kagan's opinion makes clear that this idea is clearly absurd.

JUSTICE KAGAN delivered the opinion of the Court. A police officer’s use of deadly force violates the Fourth Amendment when it is not “objectively reasonable.” Graham v. Connor, 490 U. S. 386, 397 (1989). And that inquiry into reasonableness, we have held, requires assessing the “totality of the circumstances.” Id., at 396 (quoting Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U. S. 1, 9 (1985)). The question here is whether that framework permits courts, in evaluating a police shooting (or other use of force), to apply the so-called moment-of-threat rule used in the courts below. Under that rule, a court looks only to the circumstances existing at the precise time an officer perceived the threat inducing him to shoot. Today, we reject that approach as improperly narrowing the requisite Fourth Amendment analysis. To assess whether an officer acted reasonably in using force, a court must consider all the relevant circumstances, including facts and events leading up to the climactic moment.

The Supreme Court's first and only decision today is Barnes v. Felix. Per Kagan, the court unanimously rejects the 5th Circuit's narrow approach to deadly force claims against police, holding that a proper analysis looks to the "totality of the circumstances." www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

What, Exactly, Is the Supreme Court Thinking? The justices exhibit a disturbing willingness to ignore the human costs of Trump’s actions, preferring instead to remain within the more comfortable zone of high-minded legal theory.

The Supreme Court’s emergency ruling blocked the Trump administration from removing supposed Venezuelan gang members without any legal process, @qjurecic.bsky.social writes. But it “also narrowed the path by which those detainees can contest their removal”:

Thank you all so much for having me!! It was a joy to share more about my research in psychology and law.

If you want to learn more about legal judgment & decision making, intriguing Supreme Court cases and what “objectively reasonable” actually means to people, listen to this episode!

Scholarship is an expression of deep hope in the future — by writing things down, we hope that future generations can make some use of what we do.

Writing today about the science of AI policy, I am citing a 1950s book on the role of scientists in labor unions. Thank you Milton Nadworny <3

MacArthur Foundation to Increase Giving for Two Years in Response to ‘Crisis’ The move was prompted by the Trump administration’s freeze on federal foreign aid and the now-suspended freeze on federal grants.

Some good news:

"The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will increase its giving over the next two years in response to what it calls a 'crisis' prompted by the Trump administration’s freeze..."

www.philanthropy.com/article/maca...

Congratulations to the newest class of APS Rising Stars ⭐! www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awar...

At @spspnews.bsky.social, many asked for guidelines on using LLMs in the social sciences. Our new paper in AMPPS addresses exactly that! We provide a primer for evaluating LLMs in social science research, focusing on methodological rigor, replicability, and validity: osf.io/preprints/ps...

First @spspnews.bsky.social symposium complete! I presented my work on differing gendered perceptions of East and South Asians. Really excited to continue this line of work as I wrap up my master’s thesis. Thank you to everyone who came to support! #SPSP2025

✨Starting in 30 minutes!✨ See you all there! @jadacopelandhayes.bsky.social @keturahragland.bsky.social

Happy SPSP Day to those who celebrate! I’m looking forward to starting this conference off sharing new research, “Right, Wrong or Reasonable? Morality in Legal Decision Making” in the Moral Pre conference!! #SPSP2025

Diverse Juries More Reliable, Less Likely in Alabama Death Penalty Accurate representation among juries can reduce wrongful convictions.

Where the death penalty remains active, increasing jury diversity can increase reliability and help reduce the risk of wrongful convictions.

I'll be presenting 3 posters at SPSP2025 this weekend!

‼️Thursday Pre-Conferences:
Social Psychology in Legal Contexts - 12:15-1pm
🚔 Psychology of Police Shows

Advances in Cultural Psychology -3:30-4:45pm
🧬 Gene-Culture Studies

‼️Friday Poster Session B (9-10am)
😷 Asian Health Hazard Stereotype

Yes!! Can’t wait for you to join & I’m also looking forward to your symposium!

Check out the amazing line up of speakers for the inaugural Critical Perspectives in Psychology Preconference! If you are going to #SPSP2025 you don’t want to miss this!!

Going to #spsp2025? Interested in what psychology can tell us about what works (or doesn't) to change policing? Join me @andreadittmann.bsky.social @calvinklai.bsky.social @spruill.bsky.social & Kyle Dobson very early next Saturday to find out.

A huge thank you to @spruill.bsky.social for sharing her research exploring the influence of legal language on Black and White Americans’ perceptions of police officers and police use-of-force. Truly thought-provoking work!