Zanna Clay

Next Friday 24th October at 1pm, I will be giving my Inugural Lecture!
All are extremely welcome. If you would like to attend online (or in person), please can you complete this form? Then I can send you a meeting link and/or if you'd like the recording

forms.gle/UZmAMt5VXNZN...

so glad you enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the conference!

@zannaclay.bsky.social delivering the first Frans de Waal lecture at #CBEN in Antwerp. Terrific talk on the evolution of empathy and a fantastic homage to Frans de Waal's work and legacy. #evosky #philsky #animalbehaviour 🧪

Study highlights cultural differences in parenting and reveals that how babies are soothed matters more than how fast  - Durham University

research summary here from Durham University! 6/6
durham.ac.uk/departments/...

Infant response speeds seem to reflect broader cultural preferences about emotion expressiveness in Uganda and UK
Our results highlight the importance of sociocultural contexts for shaping maternal caregiving and how these relate to infant emotional development. 5/6

We think this reflect the effectiveness of their response strategy. Ugandan mothers used more breastfeeding and tactile comfort at both 3m and 6m, while UK mothers switched to more verbal and engagement strategies as their infants grew. 4/6

Across both sites, faster maternal responsiveness was associated with faster infant recovery from distress, suggesting that prompt maternal intervention facilitates regulation.
Although UK mothers were quicker to respond, Ugandan infants actually recovered faster 3/6

How mothers respond to infants’ emotional cues is key in shaping socio-emotional development However, research outside Western contexts is limited.

We compared how mothers responded to naturally-occurring infant distress in rural Uganda and suburban UK at 3m and 6m. 2/6

Woo new paper! Cross-cultural investigation into maternal responses to infant distress

How babies are soothed may be more important than how quickly, which vary cross-culturally

w/Carlo Vreden & team in #DevelopmentalPsychology!
Open-access link + thread 👇
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

Study highlights cultural differences in parenting and reveals that how babies are soothed matters more than how fast  - Durham University

research summary here from Durham University! 6/6
www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...

Infant response speeds seem to reflect broader cultural preferences about emotion expressiveness in Uganda and UK

These results highlight the importance of sociocultural contexts for shaping maternal caregiving practices and how these relate to infant emotional development. 5/6

We think this reflect the effectiveness of their response strategy. Ugandan mothers used more breastfeeding and tactile comfort at both 3m and 6m, while UK mothers switched to more verbal and engagement strategies as their infants grew. 4/6

Across both sites, faster maternal responsiveness was associated with faster infant recovery from distress, suggesting that prompt maternal intervention facilitates emotional regulation.
Although UK mothers were quicker to respond to their infants, Ugandan infants actually recovered faster 3/6

How mothers respond to infants’ emotional cues is key in shaping socio-emotional development
However, research outside Western contexts is limited. 
We compared how mothers responded to naturally-occurring infant distress in rural Uganda and suburban UK at 3m and 6m. 2/6

Durham Psychology is hiring!
The department is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in forensic psychology, woo! Come join us, we're a friendly and vibrant dept and Durham is beautiful!
Please see info here and reach out with any Qs.
durham.taleo.net/careersectio...

Reddit post on r/technology about young people and AI: "I recently heard about a teacher who instead of trying to circumvent students using AI, which is impossible, she made assignments by going "ask ChatGPT to write a report on this subject, and then research how and why it's wrong". Not only did the students discover that ChatGPT is extremely wrong a lot of the time, it also lead them to realise that they should not use it as a primary source".

This is one of the best ideas I've heard in ages.

A study by @zannaclay.bsky.social, Carlo Vreden suggests that babies possess a powerful capacity for empathy long before they can walk or talk.As babies grow and develop, this sensitivity can develop into a deeper understanding of others' emotions and the motivation to care for them.
1/2
@psyche.co

Changes in facial skin temperature are measured using thermal imaging, which can help scientists better understand underlying emotional states.

Research paper is published in the @psyche.co

Image provided by developmental psychologists @zannaclay.bsky.social and Carlo Vreden.
2/2

aw, that is a pity- and thanks very much for explaining- that's great that the effort had been made in the planning though!

This looks brilliant topic wise-
Though it's a pity that only 2 of the 10 speakers are women. There are so many great women scientists who could have provided excellent contributions for a more balanced programme - @asab.org

What contagious crying and comforting in infants tell us about the roots of emotional connection

We wrote a piece in @psyche.co magazine about our research on #empathy in infants

@durhampsych.bsky.social
psyche.co/ideas/were-l...

WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for.

Stop using WeTransfer.

Reevaluating the relationship between female sociality and infant survival in wild baboons | PNAS Over the past few decades, studies have provided strong evidence that the robust links between the social environment, health, and survival found i...

Social determinants of health: A reanalysis shows that the link between maternal sociality and infant survival in Amboseli baboons is actually driven by state-dependent changes in maternal social behaviour

I missed this when it came out, so sharing in case you did too

www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Birds as pride flags, meticulously researched by my wonderful student Griffin ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Rainbow flag: Eastern Rosella

📷 David Irving, eBird

Some fancy chocs arrived to thank me for my review for the Branco Weiss Fellowship, very thoughtful

The Swiss do things better 😊

Over a dozen 9 year old & younger kids around a sandbox with a large papier-mâché volcano in center.

A Geo-Paleo-BINGO card with boxes for Fossil Dinosaur Bone Gypsum Rosettes Apatite Rose Quartz Pyrite Brachiopod Fossil Jasper/Agate Arrowhead (yes one archaeology find, & I did explain differences btwn geology, paleontology, & archaeology to kids) Ammonite Fossil Pumice

Dig Into Rocks & Fossils pocket booklets for kids to ID their finds (they got to keep the booklets & finds)

Remembering the time I threw a geology-paleontology themed Bday party for the kids. Filled a kiddie pool with sand, real fossils & rocks, then had the kids dig & ID their finds for Geo-Paleo Bingo. Ended by exploding a giant Coke & Mentos volcano at the dig site. 😅 #AcademicParents

wow, these are awesome! were they popular with the kids?

Help raise £600 to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda – JustGiving Crowdfunding Iʼm raising money to support the recovery journey of Charity, an amputee in Uganda. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

Last year, Charity, one of my research assistants in Uganda, faced the terrible life challenge of having her leg amputated.

We've been supporting her, but she is now at critical point in her rehabilitation and needs more support. Anything you can give will help
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

Early empathy development: Concern and comforting in 9- and 18-month-old infants from Uganda and the UK Empathy, the capacity to share and understand others’ emotional states, is important for navigating our social lives, yet its development in infancy remains poorly understood. Moreover, most research ...

🚨 New paper alert 🚨

Collaboration between @yorkpsychology.bsky.social and @durhamdcerc.bsky.social / @durhampsych.bsky.social

A longitudinal, cross cultual, study on infant development of concern & comforting:
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

@zannaclay.bsky.social

This was a collab between teams in @durhampsych.bsky.social @durhamdcerc.bsky.social and @yorkpsychology.bsky.social and Uganda who joined forces as a result of the COVID Pandemic. It marked the start of an fruitful collaboration that continues today!

Thanks to all coauthors in Uganda and UK!