CV

Simon van Baal has a background in Economics (BSc. at Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2017) and Behavioural and Economic Science (MSc. at University of Warwick, 2018). He obtained a joint Ph.D. at Monash University and University of Warwick in 2023, where he investigated the influence of time preferences, impulsivity, and self-control on people's behaviour. He used this understanding to improve decisions by encouraging contemplation and highlighting ways to deliberate on outcomes. This work is then applied to topics such as addiction and Covid-behaviours. After his PhD, Simon joined the team as a post-doctoral researcher in June 2023. He is interested in fundamental and applied decision-making research, in particular in the domains of time preferences, addiction, health, and prosociality.

For a detailed CV click here.

Publications

Van Baal, S.T., Verdejo-García, A., & Hohwy, J. (2023). Episodic future thinking and compassion reduce public health guideline noncompliance urges: A randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15031-0

Van Baal, S.T., Walasek, L., & Hohwy, J. (2022). Modelling pandemic behaviour using an economic multiplayer game. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17642-w

Van Baal, S.T., Moskovsky, N., Hohwy, J., & Verdejo-García, A. (2022). State impulsivity amplifies urges without diminishing self-control. Addictive Behaviors. 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107381

Van Baal, S.T., Le, S.T.T., Fatehi, F., Hohwy, J., & Verdejo-García, A. (2022). Cory COVID-Bot: An Evidence-Based Behavior Change Chatbot for COVID-19. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 289, 422-425. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210948

Van Baal, S.T., Walasek, L., Karanfilovska, D., Cheng, A. C., & Hohwy, J. (2022). Risk perception, illusory superiority and personal responsibility during COVID-19: An experimental study of attitudes to staying home. British Journal of Psychology. 00, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12554 

Hanegraaf, L., Van Baal, S.T., Hohwy, J., & Verdejo-García, A. (2021). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of ‘Systems for Social Processes’ in Borderline Personality and Substance Use Disorders. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 127, 572-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.013

Michael, J., & Van Baal, S.T. (2021). Key themes in recent research on interpersonal functioning in borderline personality disorder. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 34(1), 44-47.
https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000649

Westra, E., Terrizzi, B. F., Van Baal, S.T., Beier, J. S., & Michael, J. (2020). Beyond avatars and arrows: Testing the mentalizing and submentalizing hypotheses with a novel entity paradigm. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211007388