Possibility Mindset

[Hari Srinivasan]

H all. 

sharing 2 preprits that have been several years in the making, both under peer review now. 

Possibility Mindset: A Theory of Motivation under constraint with neurodivergence as a revealing interpretive case. 

Preprint available on PsyArXiv 

🔗 https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/x7jru_v1 

This paper reframes motivation as a context-sensitive appraisal of whether effort can realistically lead to progress, given the room to move and the flexibility of available pathways. Neurodivergence  reveals how structural constraints shape engagement, persistence, and withdrawal.

been brewing on above idea since undergrad, motivation to formalize those thoughts came after a conversation with the late Judy Heumann, around the state of the ed system. Judy essentially said  "Then u should do something about it" 

AI, Autism, and the Architecture of Voice: From Engineered Exclusion to Designed Dignity

Preprint available on SocArXiv

🔗 https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/eahjb_v1

This paper examines how current AI systems reproduce communication hierarchies that marginalize minimal/nonspeaking autistic users, and argues for a shift toward dignity-centered design. It outlines principles for AI that expand voice and agency rather than merely optimizing efficiency.

Thank you all

Hari Srinivasan

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Vanderbilt University: PhD Candidate Neuroscience, UC Berkeley BA Psychology & Disability Studies

Academic Affiliations: : Prof Mark Wallace's Multisensory Research Lab,, The First Center for Autism & Innovation, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Awards/Honors: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, PD Soros Fellow, NISE Fellow @ Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, Public Voices Fellow @ Op-Ed Project, UC Berkeley (University Medal Finalist., Highest Distinction,  Psychology Departmental Citation Award, Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, Haas Scholar)

Journalism: Time, Newsweek, Fortune,  Boston Globe, Psychology Today, The Daily Californian, 

 Youtube @neuroscientist108