School of PPLS at The University of Edinburgh

Fragmentation and multithreading of experience in the default-mode network - Nature Communications Here the authors show the prefrontal cortex simultaneously predicts context, the thoughts of others and future changes, while the precuneus acts as a hub to fuse these into a coherent experience.

Research from psychologists @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social and The University of Hamburg shows our brains don’t rely on one unified world model, but juggle multiple predictive threads at once. A glimpse into how experience gets fragmented then woven together. Read more: edin.ac/47cETTX #psychology

🎉We're hiring!🎉
We're looking for 2 Postdoctoral Researchers to join our exciting, interdisciplinary team. Both are full-time, fixed-term (almost 4 years), based in Edinburgh's @uoe-cahss.bsky.social / @uoe-llc.bsky.social w/ links to @schoolofppls.bsky.social & @morayhouse.bsky.social
Pls share!

Experts reveal the personality traits linked to living a longer life Those who are ‘organised, responsible and hardworking’ have a lower risk of dying, a new study suggests

Are certain personality traits linked to a longer life?
A new study co-authored by Professor in #psychology @renemottus.bsky.social suggests being organised, responsible & hardworking can lower mortality risk—while worry-prone traits may raise it. Read more: edin.ac/4nBx4gn #Research #Personality

Huge congratulations to Philosophy grad Grace Mai Clark, winner of the Sir William Darling Memorial Prize! From leading 93% Club to campaigning for widening participation, she’s left a lasting impact @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social. Read the story in full: ppls.ed.ac.uk/ppls-graduat...

Event image for our Flagship Lecture. There is headshot photo of Professor Sullins, and text reading: 'Wisdom for an Artificial Age,' Professor John P. Sullins III (Sonoma State University). Location: Edinburgh Futures Institute (in person & online), Date: Wednesday 15 October 6.00 - 7.30pm BST, There will be a reception following the lecture.

Join us for our CTMF Flagship Lecture, where we will hear from Professor @jpsullins.bsky.social on the surprising role human wisdom is playing to help us navigate the challenges of AI technologies and create a more humane future.

🗓️ 15 October 18.00 - 19.30 BST
📍 EFI & online
🎟️ edin.ac/3Kl8em6

Inquiry into the History of Science Shows an Early “Inherence” Bias New analysis concludes early scientific theories from physics to biology initially favor built-in properties over external forces—a tendency that continues today

A new co-study written by Lecturer in Psychology @zachhorne.bsky.social & @andreicimpian.bsky.social (New York University) shows a deep-rooted “inherence bias”: from Aristotle to today, people explain science in terms of built-in properties, overlooking external forces. Read more: edin.ac/46xFa26

Health benefits of retirement not evenly shared | School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences The impact of retirement on mental health depends on income level, the nature of the job left behind, and the age at which people leave the workforce, a study suggests.

Retirement often boosts wellbeing—but not for everyone. New study from PPLS Reader in Psychology Dr. Aja Murray shows income, job type & retirement age shape mental health outcomes, with some groups at risk of dips. Targeted policy support is needed. Read more: tinyurl.com/3s3ttjvp

Lecturer in Linguistics Benjamin Molineaux worked with colleagues in the UK, Argentina and Chile to trace the history of 30 languages of the Southern Cone of the Americas. Read more about this project in the Leverhulme Trust's latest newsletter (P.16) #linguistics #research #linguisticsresearch

Webs of Kinship: Exploring Environmental Ethics in Japanese Philosophy | School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences Last week the school hosted the 9th Conference of the European Network of Japanese Philosophy (ENOJP) for the first time. Host Philosophy PhD student Ellie Palmer Davulcu, recalls the success of the e...

Last week @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social hosted the ENOJP Conference for the 1st time. We welcomed 81 presenters over 3 days, including keynotes from Prof Hiroshi Abe (Kyoto University) & @shaunodwyer.bsky.social (Kyushu University). PhD student Ellie Palmer shares her experience - edin.ac/4n4pSsM

Polygenic Scores of Executive Function Provide Limited Support for Genetic Confounding With Socio‐Economic Measures While there is good reason to believe EF research has been subject to genetic confounding, the specialized samples required to test for it can be impractical for researchers. We tested one proposed a...

New Publication:

Polygenic Scores of Executive Function Provide Limited Support for Genetic Confounding With Socio-Economic Measures

@schoolofppls.bsky.social @drmluciano.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

My PhD research is now out open access: www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10...! 🎉 On English–Italian late bilinguals 🇬🇧🇮🇹 showing #L1 #attrition as a natural, domain- & experience-dependent outcome of #bilingualism, involving a complex (possibly inverse) relationship between L1 & L2. @schoolofppls.bsky.social

Scotcast - "Scotland has a problem with race" - BBC Sounds Professor Tommy Curry talks to Martin about what racism looks like in Scotland today.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Dr. Abdulrahman Kasaji is doing his fifth masters online with the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences! 💻

Swipe to discover why he's studying the MSc Epistemology, Ethics, and Mind and what he likes most about online study 🧠👉

@schoolofppls.bsky.social

Skibidi, delulu and workwife are among 6,000 new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Find out what these phrases mean and hear the thoughts of Sociolinguist @christianilbury.bsky.social on the Today Programme, BBC Radio 4 earlier this week. Listen below:

Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of dyslexia and quantitative reading skill improves gene discovery Translational Psychiatry - Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of dyslexia and quantitative reading skill improves gene discovery

Delighted to see work led by Hayley Mountford @hayleymountford.bsky.social published today. rdcu.be/eA8G0 We used MTAG to increase gene discovery for dyslexia: 36 new regions; ~30 new genes from gene-based tests; several sig biological pathways @profsimonfisher.bsky.social @schoolofppls.bsky.social

The Provocateurs: Organised Chaos / 999 WTF - The Stand Comedy Club The Provocateurs: Organised chaos, and 999 WTF Hosted by comedian Susan Morrison. Professor Pankaj Pankaj (The University of Edinburgh) peeks behind the curt...

Judging by the noise in the office it is safe to say that the @edfringe.bsky.social is well under way so, if you're free this Saturday and want to laugh and think at the same time, why not check out Prof Chris Cummins in The Provocateurs? Learn more and book your tickets below: edin.ac/416q69Z

PPLS Staff at the Fringe | School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences Back for it’s 11th year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a brand new name, The Provocateurs (formerly The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas) will feature three colleagues from PPLS for it’s 2025 run.

The @edfringe.bsky.social starts this week and, if you fancy a show that blends humour with ground breaking research, The Provocateurs could be exactly what you're looking for. Our colleagues from #linguistics Antonella, Chris & Wataru will all be taking part. Learn more & book here: edin.ac/3TY8gCf

Philosophy PhD graduate makes history | Philosophy | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences Dr Miron Clay-Gilmore becomes first Black philosopher to earn a doctorate on Africana Philosophy & Black Male Studies in the University’s history.

(2/2) You can read more of Dr Clay-Gilmore's unconventional journey through education in this article published in October 2023 here: ppls.ed.ac.uk/philosophy/n...

(1/2) Exciting news for PPLS Alumni Dr Miron Clay-Gilmore on securing a position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow for The Centre of Ethics @utoronto.ca. In 2023 Miron was the first Black philosopher to earn a doctorate on Africana Philosophy & Black Male Studies in the University’s history.

Why medically assisted dying should be legalised | Aeon Essays Death is a certainty. But choosing how and when we depart is a modest opportunity for freedom – and dignity

Death is certain — but how we die need not be. In this powerful essay for @aeon.co, @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social reframes the case for assisted dying not only as a matter of dignity or relief from suffering — but as a freedom we are only just beginning to understand. Read more: edin.ac/3GHrUiG

Listen to lecturer in non-Western philosophy @takeshimorisato.bsky.social on @philosophybites.bsky.social. Takeshi describes how Japan’s philosophical traditions evolved in dialogue with the West, and why understanding “the self” may require looking between us. Listen: edin.ac/3TtG6i4 #Philosophy

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

For today’s episode in the history of bad ideas David talks to philosopher @shannonvallor.bsky.social about the myth that technology can be value free. Why do we let Silicon Valley get away with the idea that it’s never the fault of the tech?

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Episode four: The Brain Abstracted | School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences In our fourth episode Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta discusses her work and new book The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience with early career research fellow Kate N...

Listen to Dr Chirimuuta talk more about her work in this area on our podcast PPLS Perspectives. ppls.ed.ac.uk/ppls-perspec...

Philosophy lecturer’s book wins second accolade | Philosophy | School of Philosophy, Psychology and language sciences The Brain Abstracted by Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta, which won the Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize last year, has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Lakatos Award.

Another major for philosophy at Edinburgh! Dr Mazviita Chirimuuta’s book has been awarded the prestigious Lakatos Award by LSE. This is the second major accolade for the “strikingly ambitious & original” exploration of neuroscience and the limits of neurophilosophy. Read more: edin.ac/44rbCSO (1/2)

Congratulations to @zelny.bsky.social
for winning the SPT2025 Graduate Student Paper Award!! So proud of you Andrew. @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social @schoolofppls.bsky.social @technomoralfutures.bsky.social

Mazviita Chirimuuta wins the 2025 Lakatos Award! The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is pleased to announce the 2025 Lakatos Award winner Mazviita Chirimuuta, who receives the award for her book “The Brain Abstracted:…

🏆 We are pleased to announce the 2025 Lakatos Award winner Mazviita Chirimuuta, who receives the award for her book “The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience”

Congratulations! 👏

👉More about the award: www.lse.ac.uk/philosophy/b...

Thrilled to see the work of my brilliant Edinburgh colleague Mazviita Chirimuuta recognised with the Lakatos Award 2025 @schoolofppls.bsky.social 💫💫💫

Medical Research Foundation | Emotional outbursts in childhood linked… Children who had difficulty managing intense emotions at age seven were more likely to show signs of mental health issues such as despair, sadness and worries at age 11, 14 and 17, research by Dr Aja ...

Foundation-funded research, led by Dr Aja Murray at @schoolofppls.bsky.social, finds that emotional outbursts in childhood may be linked to depression and anxiety in teenage years.

Helping children to develop emotion regulation skills early could make a difference. 🔗⏬

#MentalHealthResearch

Emotional outbursts in children linked to depression Young children who struggle to control their emotions and behaviour have more symptoms of anxiety and depression as teenagers, a study says.

Emotional outbursts in kids may signal future mental health challenges. A study funded by @medresfdn.bsky.social & led by Reader in Psychology Dr Aja Murray finds that children who struggle to manage intense emotions at age 7 show more signs of anxiety & depression in their teens. edin.ac/4659CCb

Episode four: Genes, Society and Health Our first episode of 2025 sees Research Fellow Dr David Hill sit down with Dr Charlie Xia to discuss his work exploring causal links between poverty and mental illness.

You can learn more about this study on episode 2/4 of our podcast PPLS Perspectives: ppls.ed.ac.uk/ppls-perspec...
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