Emilie Caspar

Pretty proud of this one — it represents 3 years of work!

Our new publication in American Psychologist uses EEG to investigate whether the brains of rescuers respond differently than former perpetrators and bystanders.

@erc.europa.eu @ghentccn.bsky.social

article: psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

What it is like to study resistance and participation in Israel? I must say, this has not been an easy blog post to write. Never have I seen a conflict that splits so much societies and citizens around the world. That polarization spills into research spaces too…

Last week, I was in Israel to initiate a new research project on resistance and participation in armed conflicts.

Even if still difficulty to take about it, in line with my commitment to sharing how I conduct field research, I have written a new blog post:

emiliecaspar.home.blog/2025/11/19/w...

Emilie Caspar: «La neurociencia ayuda a comprender los procesos que ocurren antes de un genocidio» | Ethic La neurocientífica social Emilie Caspar explica las bases psicológicas de la obediencia y la violencia masiva.

🎙️Emilie Caspar (@emiliecaspar.bsky.social): «La #neurociencia ayuda a comprender los procesos que ocurren antes de un genocidio». #EntrevistasEthic 

I think #Halloween is the right time to share this (very real) horror story by @emiliecaspar.bsky.social 😱

Read it (if you dare): scienceandfiction.net/stories/22_t...

New research in Rwanda has started ! We continue to try to understand what differs those who participate in a génocide, and those who instead risk their lives to save others.

Here is a picture of our novel and ecological risk-taking task, inspired by the BART.

A multi-measurement study of the relation between deliberation and volition Abstract. Historically, voluntary action and volition more generally have been investigated through the lens of meaningless decisions. Importantly, these f

In this new study academic.oup.com/nc/article-a...
we investigated how adding consequence to one's decision, and increasing the degree of deliberation, impacted different markers of voluntary action. /N

🧠Meet our new #NeuroNarratives counselors!
🗣️ Emilie Caspar - Effective Message Communication: Guiding clear, accurate public communication across disciplines.
@emiliecaspar.bsky.social
👉 Learn more: neuro-narratives.com/counselors/
#ArtScience #ScienceCommunication #Residency

Do Social Factors Differ between Rescuers, Bystanders, and Former Perpetrators? Explaining (Non-)Participation in a Genocide Understanding which social factors (i.e. biographical availability, socialization, and situational contexts) support resistance or participation in genocide remains a largely unresolved societal an...

New publication in the Journal of Genocide Research!
What social factors set rescuers apart from bystanders and perpetrators during genocide?
Which ones may drive people to rescue, or to kill?

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

@erc.europa.eu & FWO
#genocide #research #rescuers #participation

Vem aí mais um ciclo do Clube do Livro INCT SANI! 📚🤓
A obra escolhida para este semestre é "Just Following Orders", da @emiliecaspar.bsky.social, e os encontros acontecerão a partir do dia 18/08!
Acompanhe nossas redes, em breve a gente anuncia como se inscrever 😉✨

Als soldaten bevelen niet opvolgen, doen ze dat vanuit hun hart Mensen kunnen op bevel van hun leiders de grootste misdaden begaan. Maar ze kunnen bevelen ook weigeren. Psychologen onderzoeken wat er dan gebeurt in de hersenen, en hoe dat verschilt tussen militairen en gewone burgers.

www.standaard.be/natuur-en-we...

New paper on the neural mechanisms associated with resistance to immoral orders in civilian and military populations

@leslie-tricoche.bsky.social, Antonin Rovai & Salvatore Lo Bue

Open Access: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
@moralsocialbrain.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu BIAL @ghentccn.bsky.social

However, guards often face an ethical dilemma, balancing loyalty to peers with their duty to protect inmates. This challenge is further complicated by factors like racial bias, particularly relevant in detention centers affected by the migration crisis.

Despite laws prohibiting torture, prisoner mistreatment remains a widespread global human-rights violation. Intervening to stop or expose unethical behavior among colleagues is crucial for fostering accountability and preventing abuse.

We are glad to welcome Alisha Vabba who has received a 3-year postdoc grant from Ugent in our @moralsocialbrain.bsky.social

She'll combine VR with EEG to investigate what happens in the brain when prison guards witness violent misconduct by colleagues and must decide whether to intervene or not

Honored to be featured in the special edition of "The War Within. Neuroscience to understand today's violent conflict" from the ABC journal!

Discover the full issue: abcjournal.nl

#neuroscience #war

A cross-cultural EEG study of how obedience and conformity influence reconciliation intentions Abstract. The study investigated the influence of conformity and obedience on intentions to help a child whose relative had caused harm to the participant’

New publication in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) with @guillaumepech.bsky.social !

We investigated the influence of conformity and obedience on intentions to help a child whose relative had caused harm to the participant’s family.

academic.oup.com/scan/article...

Congratulations! It was a very great talk

Contacts to @victoriarambaud.bsky.social for a very good presentation on an impressive dataset with inmates followed over several months !

Results are very exciting !

Came across this paper while reviewing literature on genocide rescuers and… I am honestly (really) puzzled by the abstract.
Does anyone have access to the full text?
#WonderWoman #Science ?

I think I have a spy pigeon watching me from my office window 🕵️‍♀️🕊️

Interesting resource on academic freedom. #Belgium ranks well—let's keep it that way! While some countries' positions aren't surprising, a few others really caught me off guard.

academic-freedom-index.net/research/Aca...

We are pleased to invite you to the first edition of the Social & Moral Brain seminar: Emotions, Others, and Morality, October 16–17, 2025, at the Ghent University Museum (GUM) Forum Belgium.

Call for abstracts until May 19th
🔗 Submission : thesmbseminar.sciencesconf.org/resource/pag...

🧠 New preprint with @evalisavives.bsky.social

Psych & neuro research often prioritize internal validity—at the cost of real-world relevance. Do our models reflect true brain function, or just lab-specific tasks?

We propose concrete steps for boosting ecological validity osf.io/preprints/ps...

I am proud to represent #Belgium as an Ambassador of the ERC!

At a time when politics increasingly threatens science, its funding, and researchers' neutrality, it is more important than ever to act — and to advocate for excellent, independent fundamental research.

#Amb4ERC

Someone sent me this photo. It’s honestly chilling how many examples of "Just Following Orders" we can find — in the past, and still today. 😔

#HistoryRepeatsItself #Obedience #Inhuman

How long do neural alterations last after a human-related trauma, such as a genocide? And can they be transmitted across generations?

→ New in Biological Psychology on survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

with @guillaumepech.bsky.social & P. Ros

Why We Follow Orders: The Neuroscience of Compliance and Control About this episode: Why do ordinary people carry out extraordinary harm when simply told to do so? From the Holocaust to the genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia, history shows how obedience to ...

New podcast now available on The Michael Shermer Show !

Very interesting discussion about why and how people follow orders, even when it involves inflicting severe harm on others.

#Skeptic #Obedience #Academia #Neuroscience #michaelshermer

www.skeptic.com/michael-sher...

New event for the general public – Who Goes Fascist?

I'm excited to be part of this podium discussion at the 71st edition of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen – the oldest short film festival in the world!

Link to the event (free) : lnkd.in/edz4y_DZ

#fascism #research #science

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the front page of the Korean version of my book features the question: 한나 아렌트가 뇌과학자였다면?—which translates to "What if #HannahArendt were a neuroscientist?"

What an honor 😃
But these questions remain unfortunately so timely...

@cambridgepress.bsky.social

🔔 Call for Participation – Social & Moral Brain Seminar 🔬🧠
focusing on the theme #Emotions, #Others, & #Morality.
📅 October 16–17, 2025
📍 Ghent University Museum (GUM), Belgium

👉 Submit your abstract for a short talk or a poster by May 4, 2025: thesmbseminar.sciencesconf.org/resource/pag...