Big Words

Does using big words make you seem smarter? Or does it just make you seem stuck up? We put it to the test in an novel experiment with 400 people.

ChatGPT Disclosure

Content creators are covertly using generative AI to produce written content. But disclosure regulation is on the horizon. In this experiment with 1,200 readers, we tested how crediting ChatGPT affects perceptions of the information and the content creator.

ChatGPT - Research Review

We conducted a review of current research on generative AI tools, evaluating the benefits and drawbacks for users and society. The article examines ChatGPT's effects on outcomes like productivity, writing quality, and creativity, as well as ethical concerns. 

Climate Change Denial

As evidence of human-caused climate change mounts, the debate on the science is giving way to the political, and now, the psychological. In this study, we examine how believing vs. denying climate change affects intelligence perceptions across party lines.

Corporate vs. University Research

Irrespective of its actual credibility, it's an open question how much we actually trust corporate research compared to university research. Our experiment with 400 people put those perceptions to the test in a novel experiment.

Error Bars in Graphs

Statistical averages often come with a "margin of error," based on the sample size and variance between datapoints. This margin of error can be shown graphically via error bars. But do error bars increase rigor at the expense of understandability? Our experiment with an audience of over 1,000 people put it to the test.

Ivy League Research

Does elite-school research hold more sway than the studies of lesser-known universities? To find out, we conducted our own psychology experiment with 400 research readers, measuring perceptions of credibility for both types of research.

Media, Research, & Political Beliefs

Research is not always reliable. How the media reports it even less so. Throw political bias into the mix and you've got a recipe for incredulity. We investigated how political beliefs and media outlets that either align or conflict with those political beliefs affect the believability of research.

Old vs. New Research

Academic research takes years to publish. Some are even questioning whether the findings are still relevant by the time they're in print. In this study, we tested the public's perceptions of the longevity of research believability by framing a finding as published either 2 years ago or 22 years ago, then measuring perceived credibility.

Parentheses - Nuance or Nuisance

Parentheses provide supplemental details that (while potentially helpful) are not essential. Does including those details (and the parentheses enclosing them) boost informativeness? Or are they just annoying? We have the data in this 1,200-person experiment.

Statistics & Persuasion

Can adding a statistic to support your claim convince others of its validity? We ran experiments across three contexts, including politics, business, and a college essay, measuring audience perceptions of claim believability and claim-maker competence.

Typos

We all make mistakes, especially when writing or typing. But making it a habit may affect your image. According to our workplace research study, typos in emails significantly affect how smart, likable, and trustworthy you seem.

Vertical vs. Horizontal Bar Graphs

Bar graphs are among the most popular types of graphs used in presentations and reports. While vertical bars are more traditional, horizontal bars have gained popularity. Which do audiences prefer? Our 1,200-person experiment has the answer.

Wikipedia Trust

Wikipedia, once viewed with skepticism, has matured into a prolific source of knowledge on an array of subjects. But have public perceptions progressed with it? We tested whether Wikipedia has become as trusted as a traditional encyclopedia in an experiment with over 800 internet users.