Personal profile
Biography
My research and training are in memory and cognition. I completed my PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand and then from 2012-2015 I spent three years at the University of California, Irvine as a Fulbright Scholar and Research Fellow. During this time I studied human memory and forensic science communication/jury decision-making. From 2015-2017 I trained as a Research Associate/Postdoc at the University of Southern California, studying social-cognitive perspectives on assessments of truth and memory. In early 2018 I joined the ANU and am now an Associate Professor in the School of Medicine and Psychology.
Truthiness and Mistakes in Memory and Belief
Did I lock the door when I left the house? Do I believe that news headline that just appeared on my phone? We are regularly making decisions about what is real and what is not. In my research I examine the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to memory and belief and the ways these processes can go awry. I am especially interested in how people come to believe and remember things are true, even when they are not. And in particular, how people can succumb to truthiness—using feelings and pseudoevidence to decide what is real, instead of drawing on facts.
These judgements about what is real and what is not are all made in context, when we have different goals and information on the mind. In my research I also examine the role of context in assessments of truth, memory and broader judgements about people and evidence.
Combining approaches from social and cognitive psychology I try to understand the role of evidence, feelings and context in correcting misinformation, enhancing science communication and understanding bias in judgements within criminal justice contexts.
See recent discussion on: Seeing is believing: How media mythbusting can actually make false beliefs stronger
See recent webinar on: The impact of information (and misinformation) on mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Research Interests
- Cognitve Biases in Belief and Memory
- False Memories
- Correcting Misinformation
Research student supervision
- Registered to supervise
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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An Experimental Investigation of Treatment Decisions under Ambiguity and Conflict
Shou, Y., Gulliver, A., Farrer, L. M., Dawel, A., Newman, E. & Smithson, M., Oct 2025, In: Medical Decision Making. 45, 7, p. 892-903 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Extreme weather event attribution predicts climate policy support across the world
TISP Consortium, Jul 2025, In: Nature Climate Change. 15, 7, p. 725-735 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access22 Citations (Scopus) -
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset
Mede, N. G., Cologna, V., Berger, S., Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M. S., van der Linden, S., Abdul Aziz, N. I., Abdulsalam, S., Shamsi, N. A., Aczel, B., Adinugroho, I., Alabrese, E., Aldoh, A., Alfano, M. & Ali, I. M. & 221 others, , 20 Jan 2025, In: Scientific data. 12, 1, 27 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access13 Citations (Scopus) -
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Cologna, V., Mede, N. G., Berger, S., Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M. S., van der Linden, S., Abdul Aziz, N. I., Abdulsalam, S., Shamsi, N. A., Aczel, B., Adinugroho, I., Alabrese, E., Aldoh, A., Alfano, M. & Ali, I. M. & 221 others, , 20 Jan 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Nature Human Behaviour. 22 p., e2108576118.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access174 Citations (Scopus) -
Den mørke side af semantisk kontekst [The Dark Side of Semantic Context]: Semantic Context Boosts People’s Confidence in Their Ability to Comprehend Danish
Jordan, K., Nielsen, N. P., Bernstein, D., Newman, E., Zajac, R. & Garry, M., Dec 2024, In: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. 13, 4, p. 556-568 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Developing Evidence-based Interventions to Prevent AI Chatbot Harms to Preteen Mental Health
Dawel, A. (PI), Calear, A. (CoI), Chen, J. (CoI), Cruwys, T. (CoI), Newman, E. (CoI) & Pasalich, D. (CoI)
1/02/26 → 31/01/27
Project: Research
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Enhancing safe telehealth for all in high risk consultations: a multiperspective, mixed-methods study
Phillips, C. (PI), Butler, D. (CoI), Christensen, B. (CoI), Desborough, J. (CoI), Hall Dykgraaf, S. (CoI), Macqueen, S. (CoI) & Newman, E. (CoI)
1/07/24 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Beyond Directional Motivated Reasoning: Social Identity and Partisan Truth
Platow, M. (PI), Newman, E. (CoI), Reynolds, K. (CoI) & Spears, R. (CoI)
1/09/23 → 31/08/28
Project: Research
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Report 1 for Information Resilience: What makes individuals and populations susceptible to believing misinformation and disinformation and what makes them resilient?
Platow, M. (PI), Gilchrist, A. (CoI), Hirst, G. (CoI), Huynh, H. (CoI), Newman, E. (CoI), Reynolds, K. (CoI) & Tay, L. Q. (CoI)
23/10/24 → 10/01/25
Project: Research
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Report 2 for Information Resilience: What educational and related interventions can build resilience to misinformation and disinformation?
Newman, E. (PI), Ecker, U. (CoI), O'Neil, M. (CoI) & Tay, L. Q. (CoI)
11/10/24 → 25/12/24
Project: Research