new paper published in Nature Human Behaviour by Matan Rubin, Prof. Anat Perry, and colleagues, explores whether empathic responses are perceived differently when attributed to a human versus artificial intelligence.

Across nine studies with over 6,000 participants, the researchers found that identically generated empathic messages were rated as more empathic, supportive, and authentic when thought to come from a human.

The Department of Psychology is excited to welcome Dr. Amir Tal, a new faculty member joining the department in collaboration with the Department of Cognitive Science and the Brain. Amir will join us in the upcoming academic year (2025–2026) and will lead the Computational Psychology cluster.

A study appearing in Nature Neuroscience has linked distinct neural and behavioral characteristics in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to a simple computational principle.

Centered on the "dynamic range" of neurons, which reflects how gradually or sharply they respond to input, the study suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder have an increased dynamic range in their neuronal response, resulting in a more detailed but slower response to changes.

Recognizing fear in others is crucial for survival, but how do we achieve this? A new study, published in PNAS, led by Professor Hillel Aviezer and PhD student Maya Lecker from the department of Psychology at Hebrew University challenges the widely accepted notion that fear is primarily communicated through facial expressions. Instead, the research finds that context, rather than facial reactions, plays a critical role in fear recognition.