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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · 11d

Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored

Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊

Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek,
@profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social

APA Journals @apajournals.bsky.social · 12d

Why #misinformation must not be ignored - A new, open access article by @ulliecker.bsky.social and colleagues, published in American Psychologist bit.ly/4pJ20fY

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

mat marques, ph.d. @mdmarques.com · Sep 8

"The danger isn’t just the extreme cases — it’s the slow erosion of social trust"

some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social

Experts reveal how to change a conspiracy theorist’s mind

Did Dezi Freeman really kill two police officers or was he framed by the Government? This is one question being posed on a Facebook group for last weekend’s March for Australia anti-immigration rallie...

thewest.com.au

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · Sep 7

"Five tactics used by industry to undermine science. The disinformation playbook tactics are employed by industry during the scientific process and the science-based decision-making process"

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity - Journal of Public Health Policy

For decades, corporate undermining of scientific consensus has eroded the scientific process worldwide. Guardrails for protecting science-informed processes, from peer review to regulatory decision ma...

link.springer.com

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · Sep 4

Honored to receive the Chancellor's Award for Research for this co-authored paper on the psychology of misinformation. It was really affirming to receive recognition for this research while the field is under attack and misinfo grants are being cancelled. 1/

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

A fancy silver mint julip cup engraved with Chancellor's Award for Research and my name sitting on a wooden shelf with a poster reading "Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated" - Rosalind Franklin, a glass lego figure, and some other knickknacks

Photo of all the awardees with Vanderbilt leadership. Lisa's in a green dress and holding a silver cup

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · Jul 22

Great ECR job opportunity on the project “A Unified Computational Model of How Humans Use Automated Advice”: external.jobs.uwa.edu.au/en/job/52075...

Prospective staff : Jobs at UWA : The University Of Western Australia

external.jobs.uwa.edu.au

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Sean Guo @seanguo.bsky.social · Jul 4

Happy to share our new research on AI-generated visual misinformation - we find that specific media literacy tips about AI images improve misinformation discernment over general tips about fake news.

Feedback and comments welcome!

doi.org/10.1186/s412...

#psychsky #phdsky

Specific media literacy tips improve AI-generated visual misinformation discernment - Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly realistic, sparking discussions and fears about an impending “infodemic” where we can no longer trust what we see on the in...

doi.org

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Jul 5

AI summaries kill search traffic. This has been an obvious consequence of Google's AI summary strategy since its inception.

Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs.

Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...

Screenshot from Modern-Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines (Bergstrom and West 2025).

People wandering through a desert mirage, with the text:

"We anticipate powerful, damaging spillover effects. If no one follows web links, there will be few incentives for people to create high-quality content in the first place.

Meanwhile large language models make it easy to produce low-quality content at the touch of a button. Quality human-created information may be swamped by AI-generated bullshit."

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · Jun 27

A very important paper led by the phenomenal @lucy-h-butler.bsky.social

Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective.

@lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social

Lucy Butler @lucy-h-butler.bsky.social · Jun 27

A 2023 NHB paper concluded that corrections of science-relevant misinformation are, on average, ineffective. Our response (in press) challenges this conclusion, showing why corrections *are* effective, and why considering measurement is important:
🔗 osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/5)

OSF

osf.io

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · Jun 27

🧵 THREAD: Why the Cato Institute’s new paper on “misinformation panic” is dangerously wrong, and why it completely misunderstands the real crisis we face.
www.cato.org/policy-analy...

The Misleading Panic over Misinformation

People can’t agree on how to define misinformation and its related terms, making regulation nearly impossible. Instead, free expression serves as a better tool for discovering truth.

www.cato.org

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · Jun 25

Very excited to see this out today - led by the fabulous @emilyspearing.bsky.social

@lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Countering AI-generated misinformation with pre-emptive source discreditation and debunking | Royal Society Open Science

Despite widespread concerns over AI-generated misinformation, its impact on people’s reasoning and the effectiveness of countermeasures remain unclear. This study examined whether a pre-emptive, sourc...

royalsocietypublishing.org

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Doctor Nurse @mattnurse.com · Jun 21

Hey Australia, let's stay out of this one, yeah?

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · Jun 21

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

As the media works to win trust, people say they want the truth

Australians want journalists to tell the truth. Is that a simple request?

www.abc.net.au

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jun 19

I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12

The Anti-Autocracy Handbook: A Scholars' Guide to Navigating Democratic Backsliding

The Anti-Autocracy Handbook is a call to action, resilience, and collective defence of democracy, truth, and academic freedom in the face of mounting authoritarianism. It tries to provide guidance to ...

sks.to

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Kimberley Wade @kimwade.bsky.social · Jun 15

Thanks so much for a fabulous #sarmac2025, @ciaragreene.bsky.social @gillian-murphy.bsky.social! Many details made it such a joyess Irish-tinted celebration of the sarmac community. You're legends & we're immensely grateful ❤️ And I'm wildly proud of this lot too! (Thxs for putting up with me x)

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · Jun 13

Finally Mitch Dobbs on how correcting false claims can affect source credibility. Why do we see differences between politicians and doctors (corrections decrease trust in lying doctors but not politicians)? Possibly differences in initial trust. #sarmac2025 26/

The Impacts of Intent and Uncertainty on Source Credibility Following the Correction of Misinformation

Mitch Dobbs

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · Jun 13

Next is @ulliecker.bsky.social on misinformation spread in communication chains. Rather than look at transmission from one to many (eg social media), look at peer-to-peer transmission of misinformation corrections (game of telephone). #sarmac2025 21/

Misinformation Spread in Communication Chains

Toby Prike, Bradley Walker, Nicolas Fay, Andrew Perfors, Yoshihisa Kashima,& Ullrich Ecker

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · Jun 13

Next @emilyspearing.bsky.social on AI-generated misinformation, its influence and how to correct it. Expected more misinfo reliance in human and AI condition, inoculation would reduce beliefs, trust boost would increase belief and disclaimer would have no impact.

#sarmac2025 24/

Photo of Emily in front of slide
Trust the Machine:

Examining Reliance on Al-Generated Misinformation and How to Reduce It

Emily R. Spearing, Constantina I. Gile, Amy L. Fogwill, Toby Prike, Briony Swire-Thompson, Stephan Lewandowsky, & Ullrich K. H. Ecker

E1: Method & Predicted Results

Generic article

Al-generated misleading article about the benefits of "trickle-down economics"

Trust Boost

Al algorithms process information neutrally and consistently...

Inoculation

Al-generated Information can reflect human biases and stereotypes...

Disclaimer

Chat GPT can make mistakes. Check important info

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · Jun 6

My latest column in Science went up yesterday doi.org/10.1126/scie... . I argue that “Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. 1/n

Public health suffers when those in power dismiss knowledge

“Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. In today’s world, we frequently encounter a different variant of this philosophy, perhaps best de...

doi.org

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · Jun 5

Oh wow, my alma mater!

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Stephan Lewandowsky @lewan.bsky.social · May 26

Very pleased to be part of this next Wednesday at 11 am CET (10 am UK). Register here: www.socialchangelab.net/academicrepr... of possible interest to: @scibeh.bsky.social @karmaos.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @jagolinzer.bsky.social

Why do they go after universities?
A panel discussion reflecting on academic freedom and democracy, the people and forces working against them both, and what we can do.
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
7pm to 8pm AEST
Stephan Lewandowsky
Bristol University
Yasemin
Acar
University of St Andrews
Melis Ulug
University of Sussex
Register:
https://www.socialchangelab.net/academicrepression.html
Gill Boehringer
Retired professor of law & activist

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · May 25

...with papers by @rmpillai.bsky.social, @lkfazio.bsky.social, Jonas De keersmaecker, @emilyspearing.bsky.social, @kimwade.bsky.social, @moorepsych.bsky.social, @maddyjalbert.bsky.social, Nikita Salovich, Ariana Modirrousta-Galian, Sharon Leal, Alison Butler, Samuel Robson, Emil Skog

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · May 25

Very glad to see this out:

Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition

Special Issue
Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights

psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES...

APA PsycNet

psycnet.apa.org

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Reposted by Ullrich Ecker

Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC) @officialsarmac.bsky.social · May 16

Coming soon, a special issue of #JARMAC on #Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights, guest edited by Ulli Ecker. @apajournals.bsky.social

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · May 15

In a nutshell, we explain how statements that beliefs do not correlate well with behaviors can be misleading, if taken to imply that beliefs are unlikely to cause behaviors.

Thanks to @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social and Li Qian Tay.

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Ullrich Ecker @ulliecker.bsky.social · May 15

Glad to see this out!

Misinformation-Based Beliefs Can Have Behavioral Consequences

A commentray on a thought-provoking article on belief-behavior correspondence by
@jgranadossamayoa.bsky.social &
@dalbarra.bsky.social

www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ZC6SF...

Misinformation-Based Beliefs Can Have Behavioral Consequences

Published in Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory (Vol. 36, No. 1, 2025)

www.tandfonline.com

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