// Shared content. Minimal narrative — only the bio is prose. window.SamData = { name: 'Sam Pratt', role: 'PhD Student in Psychology', affiliation: 'University of California, Los Angeles', email: 'sampratt@g.ucla.edu', links: { twitter: 'https://x.com/sampratt99', linkedin: 'https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-pratt/', scholar: 'https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dvaHcYoAAAAJ&hl=en', wchs: 'https://sampratt99.github.io/Words-Can-Harm-Website/', newsletter: 'https://sampratt.substack.com/', cvPdf: '#cv', }, // Single bio paragraph for the home page. May contain HTML for inline links. bio: 'I\'m a Psychology PhD student in the UCLA Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). I study moral and political disagreement, focusing on why people see the world so differently and strategies to bridge divides.', // Research-focused About Me prose for the home page. researchAbout: [ "Why do moral disagreements feel so intractable? Two people can look at the same issue and come away with completely opposite views of what's right and what's wrong. I study where these disagreements come from and how people who disagree can better understand one another.", 'I\'m also interested in issues related to academic freedom, free speech, and the culture wars in higher education. I have published on the efficacy of trigger warnings and safe spaces, and helped develop the Words Can Harm Scale to measure attitudes about harmful speech.', ], // Long-form bio for the "About me" section on the home page. // Items can be strings (paragraphs, may contain HTML), { h: 'Heading' }, or { spotify: id }. aboutLong: [ { h: 'Research' }, "Why do moral disagreements feel so intractable? Two people can look at the same issue and come away with completely opposite views of what's right and what's wrong. I study where these disagreements come from and how people who disagree can better understand one another.", 'In one line of work, I study conversations between people who hold opposing moral views, with the goal of developing strategies to improve these interactions. I also use portable neuroimaging (fNIRS) to measure whether conversation partners are "seeing eye to eye," and whether practicing open-mindedness strengthens neural markers of perspective-taking.', 'I\'m also interested in issues related to academic freedom, free speech, and the culture wars in higher education. I have published on the efficacy of trigger warnings and safe spaces, and helped develop the Words Can Harm Scale to measure attitudes about harmful speech.', { h: 'Science communication' }, 'I am passionate about popularizing science. I recently launched my Substack newsletter Train of Thought. I have also written extensively for the newsletter "Moral Understanding" with Dr. Kurt Gray, where I covered hot-button issues, current events, and ways to bridge moral divides. I was a research and writing assistant for the popular science book "Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground." More recently, I\'ve been exploring new forms of science communication: I appeared on the Outrage Overload Podcast in March, 2025 — you can listen below.', { spotify: '0ikl2MaBihAWR9uInkB2YR' }, ], // Research = titles only. research: [ { title: 'The Words Can Harm Scale', tag: 'Measure development', link: 'https://sampratt99.github.io/Words-Can-Harm-Website/', linkLabel: 'Take the scale ↗' }, { title: 'Moral Boundaries of Speech', tag: 'Social & moral psychology' }, { title: 'Verbal Harm in Close Relationships', tag: 'Clinical / interpersonal' }, { title: 'Bridging Measurement & Theory', tag: 'Methods' }, ], // Publications grouped by type. Each pub: year, title, citation (APA-ish), pdf, podcast. publicationGroups: [ { type: 'Journal Articles', items: [ { year: '2026', title: 'Liberals and Conservatives See Different Victims: Moral Disagreement Is Explained by Different Assumptions of Vulnerability', citation: 'Womick, J., Goya-Tocchetto, D., Restrepo Ochoa, N., Rebollar, C., Kapsaskis, K., Pratt, S., Devine, H., Payne, B. K., Vaisey, S., & Gray, K. (2026). Liberals and conservatives see different victims: Moral disagreement is explained by different assumptions of vulnerability. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.', pdf: 'assets/papers/womick-2026-different-victims.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/31584', podcastTrack: '2107912740', doi: '10.1177/01461672261422957' }, { year: '2026', title: 'The Words Can Harm Scale: Measuring Beliefs About Harmful Speech', citation: 'Pratt, S., Jones, P. J., Bellet, B. W., McNally, R. J., & Gray, K. (2026). The Words Can Harm Scale: Measuring beliefs about harmful speech. Personality and Individual Differences, 257.', pdf: 'assets/papers/pratt-2026-words-can-harm-scale.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/52533', podcastTrack: '2175678240', doi: '10.1016/j.paid.2026.113785' }, { year: '2025', title: 'Authority or Autonomy? Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives on Deference to Experts', citation: 'Worsnip, A., Lane, D., Pratt, S., Napolitano, M. G., Gray, K., & Greene, J. (2025). Authority or autonomy? Philosophical and psychological perspectives on deference to experts. Philosophical Psychology, 1–36.', pdf: 'assets/papers/worsnip-2025-deference-to-experts.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/46903', podcastTrack: '2107913331', doi: '10.1080/09515089.2025.2475138' }, { year: '2025', title: 'Morality in our Mind and Across Cultures and Politics', citation: 'Gray, K., & Pratt, S. (2025). Morality in our mind and across cultures and politics. Annual Review of Psychology, 76, 663–691.', pdf: 'assets/papers/gray-pratt-2025-annual-review.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/43994', podcastTrack: '2107914399', doi: '10.1146/annurev-psych-020924-124236' }, { year: '2025', title: 'Health Behaviors are Moralized When Perceived to Cause Harm', citation: 'Pratt, S., Rosenfeld, D. L., Goranson, A., Tomiyama, A. J., Sheeran, P., & Gray, K. (2025). Health behaviors are moralized when perceived to cause harm. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.', pdf: 'assets/papers/pratt-2025-health-behaviors-moralized.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/43998', podcastTrack: '2107913433', doi: '10.1177/01461672251372823' }, { year: '2025', title: 'Sending Signals: Trigger Warnings and Safe Space Notifications', citation: 'Pratt, S., Jones, P. J., Bridgland, V. M. E., Bellet, B. W., & McNally, R. J. (2025). Sending signals: Trigger warnings and safe space notifications. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.', pdf: 'assets/papers/pratt-2025-sending-signals.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/43995', podcastTrack: '2107913589', doi: '10.1037/xap0000541' }, { year: '2023', title: 'Solitude Can Be Good—If You See It as Such: Reappraisal Helps Lonely People Experience Solitude More Positively', citation: 'Rodriguez, M., Pratt, S., Bellet, B. W., & McNally, R. J. (2023). Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively. Journal of Personality.', pdf: 'assets/papers/rodriguez-2023-solitude-can-be-good.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/25320', podcastTrack: '2107913874', doi: '10.1111/jopy.12887' }, ]}, { type: 'Manuscripts Under Review', items: [ { year: '2024', title: 'Testing the Coddling Hypothesis: Campus Safetyism and Student Resilience', citation: 'Pratt, S., Bellet, B. W., Jones, P. J., & McNally, R. J. (2024). Testing the coddling hypothesis: Campus safetyism and student resilience. Manuscript under review.', pdf: 'assets/papers/pratt-2024-coddling-hypothesis.pdf', podcast: 'https://sam-pratt.owlstown.net/publications/43997', podcastTrack: '2107913724', doi: '10.31234/osf.io/zav5g' }, ]}, { type: 'Senior Honors Thesis', items: [ { year: '2023', title: 'Investigating Intellectual Safetyism: What are the Consequences of Shielding Students from Emotional Discomfort?', citation: 'Pratt, S. (2023). Investigating intellectual safetyism: What are the consequences of shielding students from emotional discomfort? Senior honors thesis, Harvard University.', pdf: 'assets/papers/pratt-2023-intellectual-safetyism-thesis.pdf' }, ]}, ], // Writing: outlet, title, date, link only. writing: [ { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'Train of Thought', title: 'Can words harm? My new measure that sparked Twitter outrage.', href: 'https://sampratt.substack.com/p/can-words-harm' }, { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'The Science Matters', title: "Most students want trigger warnings: They don't actually help.", href: 'https://thesciencematters.org/most-students-want-trigger-warnings-they-dont-actually-help/' }, { date: 'Sep 2025', outlet: 'SPSP Character & Context', title: 'Want a more supportive classroom? Skip the trigger warning.', href: 'https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/pratt-jones-bridgland-supportive-classroom-safe-space-messages-trigger-warnings' }, { date: 'Apr 2025', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'Strip Club Physics (Serious Decisions Need Serious Settings)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/strip-club-physics' }, { date: 'Feb 2025', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: "AI is More Moral Than You (And the NYTimes' Best Ethicist)", href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/ai-is-more-moral-than-you' }, { date: 'Jan 2025', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: "Why Grandma's Cookies Taste So Good (Or: When I Gave Electric Shocks to Harvard Undergrads)", href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/why-grandmas-cookies-taste-so-good' }, { date: 'Dec 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'How the DMV Saved Christmas (Shared Irritation Brings Us Together)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/how-the-dmv-saved-christmas' }, { date: 'Dec 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'The Assassination of a CEO (Why Some Celebrate the Pain of the Powerful)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/the-assassination-of-a-ceo' }, { date: 'Nov 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'In Defense of Flat Earthers (Conspiracy Theorists Are More Logical Than You Think)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/in-defense-of-flat-earthers' }, { date: 'Nov 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'Moving Forward (The 2024 Election and The Curse of Knowledge)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/moving-forward' }, { date: 'Oct 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'The Psychology of Pettiness (Why Some People Get So Angry at Line-Cutting and Grape-Stealing)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/the-psychology-of-petty' }, { date: 'Sep 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'The Problem With Moral Psychology (What Science Says About Moral Truths and Romancing Your Sibling)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/the-problem-with-moral-psychology' }, { date: 'May 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/outraged-why-we-fight-about-morality' }, { date: 'Apr 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'DANGER! Why MORAL PANICS(!) Are Irresistible to Your Brain', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/danger-why-moral-panics-are-irresistible' }, { date: 'Feb 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: "Being Alone Doesn't Make You a Killer (Would Henry David Thoreau be a Mass Shooter in 2024?)", href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/being-alone-doesnt-make-you-a-killer' }, { date: 'Jan 2024', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'Hidden Brain and Evil Explain (Lessons From Death Threats)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/hidden-brain-and-evil-explain' }, { date: 'Nov 2023', outlet: 'SPSP Character & Context', title: 'Improving Our Relationship to Being Alone', href: 'https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/rodriguez-pratt-bellet-benefits-perceptions-solitude-loneliness' }, { date: 'Oct 2023', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: 'The Myopia of Heroism (Hamas, Israel, and the Quest to Save Victims)', href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/the-myopia-of-heroism' }, { date: 'Aug 2023', outlet: 'Moral Understanding', title: "Charitable Condescension (You're Not a Saint for Thinking \"They\" Are Stupid)", href: 'https://www.moralunderstandingnewsletter.com/p/charitable-condescension' }, ], press: [ { date: 'May 2026', outlet: 'The College Fix', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Rebecca Phillips', title: "Belief that words cause 'lasting' harm tied to politics, poor mental health: study", paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID', href: 'https://www.thecollegefix.com/belief-that-words-cause-lasting-harm-is-tied-to-politics-poor-mental-health-study/' }, { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'Wall Street Journal', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Rob Henderson', title: 'The Empathy of the Intolerant', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID', href: 'https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/the-empathy-of-the-intolerant-595a8729' }, { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'Manhattan Institute', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Kelsey Bloom', title: 'Psychological Fragility Has Political Consequences', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID (briefing)', href: 'https://manhattan.institute/article/psychological-fragility-has-political-consequences' }, { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'PsyPost', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Eric W. Dolan', title: 'Belief in the harmfulness of speech is linked to both progressive ideology and symptoms of depression', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID', href: 'https://www.psypost.org/belief-in-the-harmfulness-of-speech-is-linked-to-both-progressive-ideology-and-symptoms-of-depression/' }, { date: 'Apr 2026', outlet: 'Reddit (r/psychology)', kind: 'Featured research', title: 'Belief in the harmfulness of speech is linked to…', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID', href: 'https://www.reddit.com/r/psychology/comments/1s9lw48/belief_in_the_harmfulness_of_speech_is_linked_to/' }, { date: 'Mar 2026', outlet: 'Marginal Revolution', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Tyler Cowen', title: 'Who is a victim?', paper: 'Womick et al. (2026), PSPB', href: 'https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/03/who-is-a-victim.html' }, { date: 'Mar 2026', outlet: 'PsyPost', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Eric W. Dolan', title: 'New psychology research pinpoints a key factor separating liberal and conservative morality', paper: 'Womick et al. (2026), PSPB', href: 'https://www.psypost.org/new-psychology-research-pinpoints-a-key-factor-separating-liberal-and-conservative-morality/' }, { date: 'Mar 2026', outlet: 'Just Emil Kirkegaard Things', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Emil O. W. Kirkegaard', title: "Words can't bring me down", paper: 'Pratt et al. (2026), Words Can Harm Scale, PAID', href: 'https://www.emilkirkegaard.com/p/words-cant-bring-me-down' }, { date: 'Mar 2026', outlet: 'Reddit (r/science)', kind: 'Featured research', title: 'Liberals see a massive divide in vulnerability…', paper: 'Womick et al. (2026), PSPB', href: 'https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1s372rw/liberals_see_a_massive_divide_in_vulnerability/' }, { date: 'Aug 2025', outlet: 'The Herald (Scotland)', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Garrett Baylor Stell', title: "Study finds trigger warnings may be 'counterproductive'", paper: 'Pratt et al. (2025), Sending Signals, JEP:A', href: 'https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25359105.study-finds-trigger-warnings-may-counterproductive/' }, { date: 'Aug 2025', outlet: 'PsyPost', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Eric W. Dolan', title: 'Professors who use safe space language seen as more caring—and more authoritarian', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2025), Sending Signals, JEP:A', href: 'https://www.psypost.org/professors-who-use-safe-space-language-seen-as-more-caring-and-more-authoritarian/' }, { date: 'Aug 2025', outlet: 'Flinders University News', kind: 'Featured research', title: 'Trigger warnings fall flat, but safe spaces build trust in the classroom', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2025), Sending Signals, JEP:A', href: 'https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2025/08/01/trigger-warnings-fall-flat-but-safe-spaces-build-trust-in-the-classroom/' }, { date: 'Aug 2025', outlet: 'Scienmag', kind: 'Featured research', title: 'While Trigger Warnings Prove Ineffective, Safe Spaces Foster Trust in Educational Environments', paper: 'Pratt et al. (2025), Sending Signals, JEP:A', href: 'https://scienmag.com/while-trigger-warnings-prove-ineffective-safe-spaces-foster-trust-in-educational-environments/' }, { date: 'Nov 2024', outlet: 'Psychology Today', kind: 'Featured research', author: 'Jan Bonhoeffer, M.D.', title: 'Longing and Belonging', paper: 'Rodriguez, Pratt, Bellet & McNally (2023), Solitude, J. of Personality', href: 'https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/heart-of-healthcare/202411/longing-and-belonging' }, ], interviews: [ { kind: 'tv', outlet: 'GB News', show: 'Ben Leo Tonight', host: 'Ben Leo', date: 'Aug 3, 2025', title: null, description: 'I went on a live British talk show to share my research on trigger warnings. It was quite an experience — check it out!', embed: 'https://www.youtube.com/embed/9oDcRGZYcfU?start=2307&end=2616', href: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oDcRGZYcfU&t=2307s', logo: 'assets/press/gbnews-logo.png', }, { kind: 'podcast', outlet: 'Outrage Overload', show: 'Outrage Overload', host: 'David Beckemeyer', date: 'Apr 30, 2025', title: 'How perceptions of harm drive moral outrage and political conflict', description: 'I went on the Outrage Overload podcast to talk about the moral psychology of political polarization and how we can find common ground.', embed: 'https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/0ikl2MaBihAWR9uInkB2YR?utm_source=generator', href: 'https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ikl2MaBihAWR9uInkB2YR', }, ], cv: [ { section: 'Education', items: [ { year: '2022 –', text: 'PhD in Psychology, UCLA (advisor: Dr. A. Greene)' }, { year: '2017 – 2021', text: 'B.A. in Psychology & Philosophy, Pomona College, summa cum laude' }, ]}, { section: 'Positions', items: [ { year: '2021 – 2022', text: 'Lab Manager, Stanford Social Cognition Lab' }, ]}, { section: 'Awards', items: [ { year: '2024', text: 'NSF Graduate Research Fellowship' }, { year: '2024', text: 'SPSP Graduate Student Travel Award' }, { year: '2023', text: 'UCLA Department of Psychology Distinguished Teaching Award' }, ]}, { section: 'Recent talks', items: [ { year: 'Feb 2025', text: 'Measuring verbal harm: Lessons from the WCH Scale — SPSP, Denver' }, { year: 'Nov 2024', text: 'The moral psychology of speech — Stanford CES (invited)' }, { year: 'Jul 2024', text: 'When words feel like weapons — EASP, Krakow' }, ]}, ], };