Across human evolution, trust has enabled groups and institutions to cooperate, function, and prosper. However, within groups and institutions, individuals need to be prepared to detect non-co-operators and withhold trust, in order to avoid exploitation and betrayal. To tackle this evolutionary exchange problem, humans rely on phylogenetically old mechanisms that help them make quick and accurate evaluations of another’s emotions and intentions. One such mechanism is mimicry, which occurs at different levels (e.g. body, face, physiology). The question of what purpose mimicry serves is one of the most perplexing unanswered questions in psychology. What is mimicry good for? By taking into account differences in empathy, this project aims to investigate the boundaries of the automated response that constitutes mimicry, by studying different forms of mimicry and their impact on social decisions during dyadic interactions in diverse contexts.

This project takes an integrative, multi-method approach to investigate what is expressed and mimicked during interactions and whether mimicry contributes to social decisions. To that extent, a broader than typical palette of expressions will be investigated, taken from the psychology as well as from the primatology literature (e.g. facial expressions, blush, eye contact, pupil dilation, tears, yawning, scratching etc.). We are seeking a candidate that can help set up statistical procedures to, amongst other things, (i) compute density networks with connections between all the expression modalities, (ii) investigate which expressions associate with certain decisions, (iii) set clear time windows (when is something ‘mimicry’ and when isn’t it anymore), (iv) confirm findings using machine learning such as a Random Forests approach.

This project is supported by an ERC Starting grant to Dr. Mariska Kret (Leiden University). The project will run in parallel with ongoing projects in the CoPAN lab, directed by Dr. Mariska Kret (www.mariskakret.com; see the Copan Leiden Facebook page). The research group participates in the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, an interfaculty center for interdisciplinary research on brain and cognition (www.libc-leiden.nl).

Related publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30714782; https://www.pnas.org/content/115/31/E7265; 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28506927.

Key responsibilities

• Literature study, hypothesis-driven development and execution of experimental studies in the field of emotion (eye-tracking, psychophysiology, economic games);
• Report results at conferences and in at least four international peer-reviewed journals;
• Supervise BSc and MSc thesis projects and co-supervise PhD student;
• Work in a team and participate in the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC);
• ERC-grant-related administration (e.g. progress reports).

• PhD in psychology, neuroscience, mathematics or related field;
• Knowledge of multilevel statistics and/or machine learning/random forests and/or network analyses;
• Experience with psychophysiological methods;
• Technical skills;
• Programming experience (e.g., Matlab, R, e-prime);
• Broad scientific interest beyond own field (e.g., evolutionary psychology, primatology, human-computer interactions, Virtual Reality etc.);
• Open-minded.

We offer a fixed-term post for 3 years for 0.75FTE. This may be extended to a fulltime contract if the candidate is willing to teach on the side. Salary range from €2709.- to €4274.- gross per month (pay scale 10, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Preferred starting date: November 1st 2019 (up to 5 months later is discussable).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

Universiteit Leiden

Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university in the Netherlands (1575). The University permeates the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at.

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/werken-bij

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences comprises four institutes: Education and Child Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology. The faculty also includes the Centre for Science and Technology Studies. The faculty is home to 5,000 students and 600 members of staff. Our teaching and research programmes cover diverse topics varying from adoption to political behaviour. For more information, see www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/social-behavioural-sciences.

The Institute of Psychology comprises six units (teaching + research): Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social and Organizational Psychology, and Methodology and Statistics. The Institute of Psychology offers a stimulating environment that promotes collaboration within and between units. For more information, see www.fsw.leidenuniv.nl/psychologie/.

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/social-behavioural-sciences