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Gordon Pennycook

@gordpennycook.bsky.social

23K followers 1.1K following 310 posts

Associate Professor, Psychology @cornelluniversity.bsky.social. Researching thinking & reasoning, misinformation, social media, AI, belief, metacognition, B.S., and various other keywords. 🇨🇦 https://gordonpennycook.com/ .. more

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Gordon Robert Pennycook is a Canadian psychologist who is an associate professor at Cornell University. He is also an adjunct professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Regina's Hill and Levene Schools of Business. In 2020, he was elected to be a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. .. more

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · May 29

New paper in PSPB! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Well, actually, not "new". We first put this paper online way back Dec 2022... in any case, we think it's really cool!

We find that conspiracy believers tend to be overconfident & really don't seem to realize that most disagree with them

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 15h

Okay fair, but what I'm saying is that the threat is far more existential than that. We're talking about people who are either expressly pushing misinformation or are so disconnected from empirical science that they might as well be deliberately misinformative

Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 16h

My conclusion being that when scientists are levying largely legitimate criticism (such as in this case, IMO) we should not hyperfocus on extreme accuracy but take into account the broader context of the criticism.
But I think we're going in circles now & I've clarified my point as much as I'm able

Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 16h

In this case, the response to cricisms of RFKJrs statement about "finding proof" for something he already proclaimed as true is to say "oh look, these other scientists agree with me, see we're doing good sciencs".

In both cases, its playing into their hands.

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 16h

What you're doing is engaging in the same sort of behavior that you're criticizing. The admin will weaponize concerns about p-hacking by saying "look scientists are criticizing science too". (As you've pointed out) ...

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 17h

This is not about clarity, or ideas, or philosophy of science, or anything of the sort.

Science is under threat b/c it is a source of social influence that people in power feel like they should be able to constrain. Scientists publicly calling out an anti-science admin is what we need more of!

Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 17h

I don't think it is at all likely that scientific skepticism would result from the sort of statements that are being criticized. And, in fact, the very idea that *this* is the sort of thing that explains why science is under threat is precisely the problem I'm trying to point out.

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 17h

I'm not advocating for sloppiness or acceptable inaccuracies, of course. I'm just saying that there are times where we have the luxury of being hyper-focused on extreme precision, and then there are times where the top health official in the country is rejecting science in lieu of conspiracies

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 17h

Perhaps that's the real difference in opinion. In general, sure, precision is important. But my read on the situation is very different. Science is under direct threat and our natural inclination to quibble about nuances presents a profound disadvantage in what is essentially a war over information

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 19h

I agree that there's a way to interpret what was originally said as wrong. What I'm saying is that, given the context, it's fair to assume that RFKJr is not engaging in the process that you're defending as scientific. And, hence, what was originally said is probably fine.

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 22h

FWIW, I don't think it's of great value to say "we're better off doing X" when one could do both things. I.e., call out the top US health official who doesn't apparently understand how science works, and also call out the weakness of their evidence.

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 22h

And RFKJr has a history of using limited and weak (ostensibly) scientific findings to support positions that are consistent with his narrative. I really don't think there's a valid comparison between what he's saying and legitimate processes in science. Hence, I think the original criticism stands.

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 22h

No no, I understand the point that you're making (confirmation is a thing that happens in science, criticisms of Popper etc. - it's all good stuff).

I'm just saying that, in this context, we can be pretty confident that what RFKJr is doing is not good science...

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 22h

I think this is a misunderstanding of the criticism. What RFKJr is doing is saying "we've concluded X" (and are announcing it from a giant platform), but are looking for proof. This is less about confirmation bias and more about confident proclamations without evidence (unambiguously bad science)

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 2d

This is happening today! We've got some brand new data testing whether facts and evidence are effective at changing people's minds *even when political partisans are being directly challenged* (e.g., on topics like the constitutional crisis, or widespread corruption, or unpopular funding cuts).

Psychonomic Society @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social · 4d

There is still time to register for the next talk of the One World Series on October 8! Guest speaker Gordon Pennycook, Cornell University, USA, will present “Dialogues with AI demonstrate the persuasive power of facts and evidence.” Register for free today: bit.ly/3K80JyY @gordpennycook.bsky.social

White background with globe graphic and photo of the presenter with the time and date of the One World Series presentation.

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Reposted by Gordon Pennycook

Psychonomic Society @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social · 4d

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Reposted by Marc Lynch, Gordon Pennycook, Richard Waite , and 4 more Marc Lynch, Gordon Pennycook, Richard Waite, Joseph Schafer, Christine Kooi, James Connelly, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 11d

The real generational divide is people who refuse to watch a video if it could be an article versus people who refuse to read an article if it could be a video

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Reposted by Gordon Pennycook

Psychonomic Society @psychonomicsociety.bsky.social · 16d

The next talk of the One World Series will be presented on October 8. Guest speaker Gordon Pennycook, Cornell University, USA, will present “Dialogues with AI demonstrate the persuasive power of facts and evidence.” Register for free today: bit.ly/3K80JyY @gordpennycook.bsky.social

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Linda J. Skitka , and 6 more Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Linda J. Skitka, Jennifer A. Richeson, Mark J. Brandt, Efrén O. Pérez, Melanie C. Green, Michael W. Kraus, Jill A. Jacobson

Tiffany Ito @tiffanyito.bsky.social · 18d

University of Colorado Boulder Psychology & Neuroscience is searching for TWO tenure track assistant professors!!

jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...

#socialpsychology #cogpsyc #PsychSciSky #PsychJob
#psycjobs #psychology

1/n

Assistant Professor

jobs.colorado.edu

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Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Kori Schake, Anna O. Law , and 7 more Jonathan Portes, Kori Schake, Anna O. Law, Richard S.J. Tol, David G. Rand, Gordon Pennycook, Nathan Nunn, David L. Ortega, Amy W. Ando, Mark Rice

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 18d

Serious scholars have examined what happens when we change the number of H1-B visas issued.

Cities that get more H1-B immigrants subsequently see the wages of natives *rise* substantially.

Skilled immigrants bring new ideas, fill labor shortages and make us all more productive.

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Reposted by Stefano DellaVigna

Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 18d

Excited to announce our amazing lineup of speakers for the 2026 JDM preconference at SPSP!

Conference date: Feb 26th
Location: Chicago
Deadline to apply: Oct 23rd.

Application link: spsp.wufoo.com/forms/2026-p...

cc: @sdellavi.bsky.social, @hirshmansam.bsky.social, @vinisingh.bsky.social

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Reposted by Gordon Pennycook, Brendan Nyhan, Samuel L. Perry

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 23d

Is it important that the media can report the news without government censorship?
In the United States, 92% say it is important.
www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/...

A median of 61% across the 35 countries surveyed say it is very important that the media are able to report the news without state or government censorship in their country. A median of 23% say this is somewhat important; 11% say it’s not too or not at all important.

Majorities of adults in Canada (77%) and the U.S. (67%) believe having freedom of the press is very important in their country.

In Europe, the shares saying freedom of the press is very important range from 56% in Poland to 89% in Greece. Majorities across all countries in the region hold this view.

In the Asia-Pacific region, varying shares say it’s very important that the media can report the news without censorship. About four-in-ten hold this view in Bangladesh, India and Singapore, compared with about six-in-ten in Australia. Shares in other Asia-Pacific countries fall in between.

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Jill A. Jacobson

Hilary Barth @hilarybarth.bsky.social · 23d

We’re searching for TWO tenure-track cognitive neuroscientists here in the Wesleyan University Psychology Department! Apply here wesleyan.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/careers

Careers at Wesleyan

We welcome your interest in Wesleyan’s diverse, energetic community of employees who, by their creativity, innovative thinking, and generosity of spirit, help make Wesleyan a great place to work. In t...

wesleyan.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio

Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · 25d

My former postdoc, Nina, is looking for grad students! You will have the best time with Nina - she is awesome!

Nina Wang @ninawang.bsky.social · 25d

I am recruiting (Canadian🇨🇦) graduate students at York University for Fall 2026 in Social and Personality Psychology! If you are interested in misinformation, political polarization, and/or computational social science, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Gordon Hodson , and 2 more Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Gordon Hodson, Mark J. Brandt, Alan Richardson

Nina Wang @ninawang.bsky.social · 25d

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Laura K. Taylor , and 4 more Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Laura K. Taylor, Efrén O. Pérez, Calvin K. Lai, Melanie C. Green, Jill A. Jacobson

Erin Westgate @erinwestgate.bsky.social · 28d

🚨 TT job alert! 🚨 The University of Florida is hiring an Assistant Professor in Social Psychology; open to ALL AREAS within social psych.

Review begins 10/10.

Job ad here: explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...

I'm co-chair of the search committee and happy to answer questions! 🧵

Payne's Prairire, where you could watch the sunset every evening if you came to UF

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Reposted by Gordon Pennycook, Jill A. Jacobson

Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · Sep 9

The Dept. of Psychology at the U. Wisconsin–Madison has an opening for an Assistant Professor in the area of Computational Neuroscience and/or Cognitive Science, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI).

Domain of behavior or cognition is open. Details at jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

Assistant Professor of Psychology - Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...

jobs.wisc.edu

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · Sep 8

But I do agree that people who care about misinformation should also think more about doing research on the downstream outcomes that are also important (or, in many cases, even more important)!

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · Sep 8

Or, put differently, I would view misinfo interventions as intervening on the direct effects of misinfo... such as on people's ability to distinguish truth from falsity (a good in itself) or on people's willingness to share more true than false things online (and etc.).

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Gordon Pennycook @gordpennycook.bsky.social · Sep 8

Fair enough! I suppose I'm making mostly a semantic argument: If the goal is to impact (for e.g.) vaccination intentions, or pro-climate behaviors, etc., then you're not necessarily doing a misinfo intervention per se. Even if one could imagine a misinfo intervention having an impact on such things

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Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Kate Starbird , and 2 more Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Kate Starbird, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Jill A. Jacobson

Yuko Munakata @yukomunakata.bsky.social · Sep 8

UC Davis is hiring! A tenure-track assistant professor of psychology, in human cognition or cognitive neuroscience #psychjobs recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300

Assistant Professor of Psychology - Human Cognition or Cognitive Neuroscience

University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ucdavis.edu

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