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matan rubin

Comparing the value of perceived humanversus AI-generated empathy

16 July, 2025

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.

oded leshem

Congratulation to Dr. Oded Adomi Leshem

2 July, 2025

Who won ISPP’s 2025 David O. Sears Best Book Award for his book "Hope Amidst Conflict: Philosophical and Psychological Explorations," Published by Oxford University Press.

Leshem is a senior researcher at the PICR lab and the founder of the new International Hub for Hope Research.

David O. Sears Best Book on Mass Politics Award

Amir Tal

Welcome Dr. Amir Tal

24 June, 2025

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.

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Psychologists should study basic social cognition processes within the context of sexual interactions

12 January, 2025
naom Markovitch

Research in psychology has long underscored the significance of contextual influence on social cognition processes and behavior. However, the exploration of sexual interactions as a unique context affecting these processes has largely been neglected by previous research, despite their prominent role in our daily lives and potentially consequential outcomes.

In a recent Communications Psychology paper, Dr. Noam Markovitch (previously a postdoctoral fellow at the department), together with Prof. Anat Perry and Prof. Tali Kleiman, argue for the relevance of various basic social cognition processes to sexual interactions. They detail how various social cognition processes (e.g., arousal, cognitive load, internal conflicts, ambivalence, emotion perception, and perspective-taking) can be shaped by the sexual context and, in turn, influence the dynamics and psychological outcomes of sexual interactions.

The authors propose a line of research that integrates theoretical insights and methodologies from social cognition research with those from sex and relationship research, emphasizing its potential for theoretical and applied contributions to both fields.

See full article here