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Mark Ho

@markkho.bsky.social

computational cog sci • problem solving and social cognition • asst prof at NYU • https://codec-lab.github.io/

1,848 Followers  |  509 Following  |  32 Posts  |  Joined: 05.10.2023
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Posts by Mark Ho (@markkho.bsky.social)

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Human-level 3D shape perception emerges from multi-view learning Humans can infer the three-dimensional structure of objects from two-dimensional visual inputs. Modeling this ability has been a longstanding goal for the science and engineering of visual intelligenc...

excited to share some recent work!

neural networks trained on multi-view sensory data are the first to match human-level 3D shape perception

we predict human accuracy, error patterns, and reaction time—all zero-shot, no training on experimental data

arxiv.org/abs/2602.17650

1/🧠

26.02.2026 16:28 — 👍 39    🔁 6    💬 1    📌 1
10 hour study with me at Columbia showing lunch

10 hour study with me at Columbia showing lunch

Her in the library

Her in the library

DHS illegally arrested me please help

Text against image of her knees

DHS illegally arrested me please help Text against image of her knees

Columbia student detained today is a day-in-the-life influencer with 100K followers. Her stories right now go from her studying for a Genetics exam in a nicely edited "ten hour study with me at Columbia" video, to a photo of her knees with the caption "dhs illegally arrested me please help"

26.02.2026 17:15 — 👍 5656    🔁 2111    💬 43    📌 109
Lab manager position in the Cognitive Development Lab
Please forward to motivated students!
Apply here: https://apply.interfolio.com/182022 
Deadline: March 2, 2026
Questions? Email andrei.cimpian@nyu.edu

Lab manager position in the Cognitive Development Lab Please forward to motivated students! Apply here: https://apply.interfolio.com/182022 Deadline: March 2, 2026 Questions? Email andrei.cimpian@nyu.edu

Looking for a lab manager! Join us! 😊
apply.interfolio.com/182022

20.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 21    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 1
PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

Bots have made their way to Prolific experiments. Our lab has stopped online testing of adults entirely now for this reason - we want to know if what we study is real. Probably data collected 2-3 years ago are ok, but moving forward we just can't know. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

19.02.2026 15:14 — 👍 171    🔁 98    💬 6    📌 11
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I'm very sad to have learned today that Joe Halpern passed away. Joe was a giant who knew no scientific boundaries. He loved science with a contagious, child-like enthusiasm. He was wonderful and I'm so grateful that I got to learn from him. Thank you Joe 🙏

www.bangsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/j...

15.02.2026 22:18 — 👍 51    🔁 12    💬 1    📌 4
Part 1: How do LLMs work?
YouTube video by Andrew Perfors Part 1: How do LLMs work?

I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊

Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.

22.01.2026 00:45 — 👍 491    🔁 191    💬 19    📌 18
Dr Kareem Carr
man: i wish to publish
@kareem_carr
Jan 21
reviewer 2: your paper is no good
man: i'll do anything to improve
reviewer 2: it's simple. you must read the work of the great scientist Pagliarini
man: *bursts into tears* but i am Pagliarini
Andre Pagliarini
@apagliar
Jan 21
a first: in rejecting an article I submitted to a journal, reviewer 2 noted I failed to engage the work of one Andre Pagliarini
Jan 21, 2026 • 3:47 PM UTC

Dr Kareem Carr man: i wish to publish @kareem_carr Jan 21 reviewer 2: your paper is no good man: i'll do anything to improve reviewer 2: it's simple. you must read the work of the great scientist Pagliarini man: *bursts into tears* but i am Pagliarini Andre Pagliarini @apagliar Jan 21 a first: in rejecting an article I submitted to a journal, reviewer 2 noted I failed to engage the work of one Andre Pagliarini Jan 21, 2026 • 3:47 PM UTC

I just thought everyone should see this

22.01.2026 23:02 — 👍 25541    🔁 6056    💬 43    📌 236
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It’s book release day! I’m back on social media! I feel slightly awkward about it because part of the book is about how social media transforms your motivations for communication!

But honestly writing a book is lonely, weird basement-work, and now I want to talk to people about this weird jank.

13.01.2026 16:09 — 👍 174    🔁 36    💬 8    📌 3

claude code is fucking insane

i know literally NOTHING about Hegel. ZERO. and it just built me a complete system of German idealism

05.01.2026 18:49 — 👍 971    🔁 144    💬 29    📌 16
RLJ | RLC Call for Papers

Hi RL Enthusiasts!

RLC is coming to Montreal, Quebec, in the summer: Aug 16–19, 2026!

Call for Papers is up now:
Abstract: Mar 1 (AOE)
Submission: Mar 5 (AOE)

Excited to see what you’ve been up to - Submit your best work!
rl-conference.cc/callforpaper...

Please share widely!

23.12.2025 22:16 — 👍 61    🔁 28    💬 0    📌 8
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Excited to announce a new book telling the story of mathematical approaches to studying the mind, from the origins of cognitive science to modern AI! The Laws of Thought will be published in February and is available for pre-order now.

18.12.2025 15:59 — 👍 167    🔁 39    💬 2    📌 5
Q: When I think about what will set me up for a university job, what should I evaluate potential post-docs based on? Should I consider things like the institution and where it's based? Is it about the subject matter of the project and the kind of papers I'll publish and the skill set I'll use? Or is it more about the connections that I'll have the opportunity to make and going to conferences and that kind of thing? 

A: I think the main things are: (a) the kinds of papers you'll end up being able to publish; (b) the skill set you'll acquire; and (c) the connections you can make. But all of these are contextually dependent -- really what matters is that they pave the path that you want to take and support your narrative of what you do and how you fit (because once a candidate passes a certain bar for quality, hiring decisions are usually made on the basis of skills and fit).

To illustrate: if you want to be the kind of researcher whose contribution to your school/field (and narrative) is that you have certain skills, or a certain area of expertise, then you want your postdoc to be one that develops those skills/expertise, where you write papers that showcases that you have those skills/expertise, and where you create connections with people who care about those skills/expertise. That's why it's so important to figure out your narrative and what you want to do: it all starts from there. So the question is not: how do I set myself up to get a university job? It is what kind of university job do I want, and how do I set myself up for that?

Some people are like, I don't care, I just want any job! But people don't want to hire people who have no "why" for what they do beyond just getting money -- people hire people who have a contribution to make. So figure out what contribution you want to make, and then choose a postdoc that will best set you up to be able to make it. (And you can always change direction, people do that often, but you want to start with a direction).

Q: When I think about what will set me up for a university job, what should I evaluate potential post-docs based on? Should I consider things like the institution and where it's based? Is it about the subject matter of the project and the kind of papers I'll publish and the skill set I'll use? Or is it more about the connections that I'll have the opportunity to make and going to conferences and that kind of thing? A: I think the main things are: (a) the kinds of papers you'll end up being able to publish; (b) the skill set you'll acquire; and (c) the connections you can make. But all of these are contextually dependent -- really what matters is that they pave the path that you want to take and support your narrative of what you do and how you fit (because once a candidate passes a certain bar for quality, hiring decisions are usually made on the basis of skills and fit). To illustrate: if you want to be the kind of researcher whose contribution to your school/field (and narrative) is that you have certain skills, or a certain area of expertise, then you want your postdoc to be one that develops those skills/expertise, where you write papers that showcases that you have those skills/expertise, and where you create connections with people who care about those skills/expertise. That's why it's so important to figure out your narrative and what you want to do: it all starts from there. So the question is not: how do I set myself up to get a university job? It is what kind of university job do I want, and how do I set myself up for that? Some people are like, I don't care, I just want any job! But people don't want to hire people who have no "why" for what they do beyond just getting money -- people hire people who have a contribution to make. So figure out what contribution you want to make, and then choose a postdoc that will best set you up to be able to make it. (And you can always change direction, people do that often, but you want to start with a direction).

I have been emailing with a student offering advice about navigating the post-PhD job market and it struck me that the advice was general enough that more people might benefit. So here you go!

tl;dr: Figure out what you want your contribution to be, and make choices that can make that happen.

18.12.2025 00:31 — 👍 30    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 0
BROWN
Brown University 
@BrownUniversity
X.com
We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of two deceased victims from the active shooting situation at the Barus & Holley engineering building. There are eight additional victims in critical, but stable condition at the hospital. There remains a shelter in place order. brown.edu
5:39 PM • 12/13/25 • 27K Views

BROWN Brown University @BrownUniversity X.com We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of two deceased victims from the active shooting situation at the Barus & Holley engineering building. There are eight additional victims in critical, but stable condition at the hospital. There remains a shelter in place order. brown.edu 5:39 PM • 12/13/25 • 27K Views

Brown University confirms two dead victims and eight others in critical but stable condition following a mass shooting on campus.

13.12.2025 23:51 — 👍 394    🔁 162    💬 12    📌 19
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🚨Job Alert plz RT!

Johns Hopkins Psych & Brain Sciences is looking for a new colleague using behavioral or computational approaches to study cognition!

We are excited about many areas of (esp higher) cognition in human adults, children, or nonhuman animals

Open-rank

apply.interfolio.com/178146

02.12.2025 02:54 — 👍 56    🔁 75    💬 0    📌 1
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

Well this is exciting!

The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (@jhu.edu) invites applications for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology, in any area and at any rank!

Application + more info: apply.interfolio.com/178146

02.12.2025 03:18 — 👍 93    🔁 55    💬 1    📌 3
Assistant Professor in Music, AI and Brain Health About the Opportunity About the Opportunity: The College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD) at Northeastern University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Music, AI and Brain ...

We are hiring! #musicscience #musicAI #neuroskyence Assistant Professor in Music, AI, and Brain Health. TT position, come join the most vibrant and delightful of peeps 🧠🎶🤖

northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...

26.11.2025 13:49 — 👍 10    🔁 11    💬 0    📌 0

Wahooo!!!

26.11.2025 00:21 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
a red building on UPENN's campus photographed during the fall

a red building on UPENN's campus photographed during the fall

the Philadelphia skyline, with clear skies and autumn trees

the Philadelphia skyline, with clear skies and autumn trees

starting fall 2026 i'll be an assistant professor at @upenn.edu 🥳

my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception

currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!

reach out if you're interested 😊

25.11.2025 21:36 — 👍 227    🔁 45    💬 25    📌 3
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NYU announced the creation of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science this month, signaling the university’s enthusiastic commitment to mathematics, computing, and data science over the coming decades: t.co/dz4NsvJg4w

25.11.2025 16:33 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
Sydney Levine - Open Positions Graduate Students (PhD program) I will be accepting PhD students through the NYU psychology department for the current application cycle (for admission in Fall 2026). My lab is joint between the Co...

I'm recruiting a grad student! My lab at NYU (psych dept) studies the computational basis of moral cognition and aims to build AI systems that are aligned with human values. Now admitting a PhD student for Fall 2026. Apps due 12/1. sites.google.com/corp/site/sy...

14.11.2025 02:18 — 👍 38    🔁 21    💬 1    📌 1

How do we estimate cognitive biases from human data using IRL? We bring some scalable answers in this collaboration!

13.11.2025 14:36 — 👍 20    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

This was a team effort!!

Massive credit to @banerjeesounak.bsky.social for leading this work and a big thanks to @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social, @daphne-cornelisse.bsky.social, and our partners at @toyota-tri.bsky.social for the fantastic collaboration 🙌🎉

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 6    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

One reason I’m excited about this work is that it is step towards scaling cognitive models to naturalistic domains, like driving 🚗

This pushes cognitive modeling approaches forward while helping bridge the gap between cognitive science theory and real-world autonomous systems!

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
Post image Post image

We pose the problem of *attention-aware inverse planning* and compare to standard inverse RL, which assumes agents have unlimited attention

Further, we examine AAIP in tabular problems and with simulated agents placed in real-world scenarios selected from the Waymo Open Dataset!

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
Video thumbnail

In short, attentional biases -> suboptimal behavior

Our new paper inverts this process and asks: Can we infer the biases of attention-limited agents from their observed behavior?

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Previous work also examined how *attentional biases* in construing tasks can produce *behavioral suboptimalities*

For example, learned biases can cause us to overlook obvious shortcuts that would make tasks much easier to solve, aka functional fixedness🔨🧩

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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People construct simplified mental representations to plan - Nature Strategically perceiving and conceiving problems facilitates the effective use of limited cognitive resources.

We build on previous work on *resource-rational planning* and *value-guided construal*

The key idea? People are cognitively limited, so they plan by forming simplified (but useful!) world models 🌍➡️🗺️

This captures how attention-limited humans think/act!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Estimating cognitive biases with attention-aware inverse planning People's goal-directed behaviors are influenced by their cognitive biases, and autonomous systems that interact with people should be aware of this. For example, people's attention to objects in their...

Excited to share a new preprint, accepted as a spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!

Humans are imperfect decision-makers, and autonomous systems should understand how we deviate from idealized rationality

Our paper aims to address this! 👀🧠✨
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25951

a 🧵⤵️

13.11.2025 13:20 — 👍 62    🔁 14    💬 1    📌 2

Fascinating study, in line with the general unreliability of LMs at ToM reasoning I've seen.

I expect they'll be unreliable about other propositional attitudes (want, hope, expect, suspect, etc.), and suspect this is bc they're not trained on data that grounds this vocabulary.

06.11.2025 12:10 — 👍 13    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

The psychology program at NYU Abu Dhabi has open rank open area positions in cognition-perception-cogneuro. Wonderful colleagues, excellent research infrastructure (incl MRI, MEG, EEG), close ties to NYU New York. Superfast growing part of the research world
apply.interfolio.com/175417
#neuroskyence

02.11.2025 14:11 — 👍 16    🔁 8    💬 1    📌 0