Ian Wells
@ianrwells.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer/ Teaching Fellow, University of East London. Aged psychologist, with interests in teaching ‘thinking’ skills and mis/disinformation. ‘Woke-poison peddler’
Yet more for my 'Must read' list !!!!!
New paper out in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social !
We (@kwinter.bsky.social, @kaiepstude.bsky.social , Bob Fennis and I) found that encouraging counterfactual thinking reduces engagement with conspiracy theories (i.e., clicks on, and reading times for, conspiracy articles).
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We (@kwinter.bsky.social, @kaiepstude.bsky.social , Bob Fennis and I) found that encouraging counterfactual thinking reduces engagement with conspiracy theories (i.e., clicks on, and reading times for, conspiracy articles).
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November 28, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Yet more for my 'Must read' list !!!!!
This ought to be compulsory reading for HE managers. Gen AI might not always be the answer !
Why ChatGPT for Teachers Might Make Things Worse
I've spent the morning with the this new product and I have concerns...
carlhendrick.substack.com/p/why-chatgp...
I've spent the morning with the this new product and I have concerns...
carlhendrick.substack.com/p/why-chatgp...
Why ChatGPT for Teachers Might Make Things Worse
OpenAI have just released ChatGPT for Teachers which I have just spent the morning looking at it and I have concerns.
carlhendrick.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:24 PM
This ought to be compulsory reading for HE managers. Gen AI might not always be the answer !
‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend’ was never truer !
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend’ was never truer !
Sad to see a great British institution under attack, and the British ‘Establishment’ either silent, or actively cheering on its demise. We should cherish the BBC
Be clear, the American far right are coming for British democracy.
November 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Sad to see a great British institution under attack, and the British ‘Establishment’ either silent, or actively cheering on its demise. We should cherish the BBC
I’m not sure I’ll ever top this !!!
November 8, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I’m not sure I’ll ever top this !!!
So, Elon won’t want his Grok AI looking at X too much, but he’ll happily promote as much human use as possible ? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Too much social media gives AI chatbots ‘brain rot’
Large language models fed low-quality data skip steps in their reasoning process.
www.nature.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:30 AM
So, Elon won’t want his Grok AI looking at X too much, but he’ll happily promote as much human use as possible ? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Perfectly timed for this afternoon’s lecture !!!
October 31, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Perfectly timed for this afternoon’s lecture !!!
Reposted by Ian Wells
Large study finds no link between mRNA COVID vaccines early in pregnancy and birth defects www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/stu... via @cidrap.bsky.social
Study finds no link between mRNA COVID vaccines early in pregnancy and birth defects
www.cidrap.umn.edu
October 22, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Large study finds no link between mRNA COVID vaccines early in pregnancy and birth defects www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/stu... via @cidrap.bsky.social
Yet more on ‘AI psychosis’ ! Seems that this ought, at the very least, to temper the head-long rush towards ‘AI with everything’ www.wired.com/story/ftc-co...
People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help
The Federal Trade Commission received 200 complaints mentioning ChatGPT between November 2022 and August 2025. Several attributed delusions, paranoia, and spiritual crises to the chatbot.
www.wired.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Yet more on ‘AI psychosis’ ! Seems that this ought, at the very least, to temper the head-long rush towards ‘AI with everything’ www.wired.com/story/ftc-co...
Why do people keep writing things that I need to read !!!!
Hey! Look what's now out in print! And I am very happy to see that #Altmetrics currently logs our paper at 5000+ views and 6 citations already. 🤗 @digitaljournalism.bsky.social @compcommlab.bsky.social
Full original thread linked below.
Full original thread linked below.
October 21, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Why do people keep writing things that I need to read !!!!
This study of misinformation training in India sounds fascinating. Yet another for the ‘Must read’ list ! theprint.in/feature/biha...
In Bihar villages, children are learning to fight fake news. Study shows classrooms help
More than 13,500 adolescents across 583 villages participated in the experiment, discovering how to engage their families in conversations about truth and myth.
theprint.in
October 17, 2025 at 10:33 PM
This study of misinformation training in India sounds fascinating. Yet another for the ‘Must read’ list ! theprint.in/feature/biha...
The relationship between AI chatbots and mental health is surely something that Psychologists should be heavily focused on ???
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Can AI chatbots trigger psychosis? What the science says
Chatbots can reinforce delusional beliefs, and, in rare cases, users have experienced psychotic episodes.
www.nature.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:22 AM
The relationship between AI chatbots and mental health is surely something that Psychologists should be heavily focused on ???
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It’s a bit disturbing that this story doesn’t seem to have made the British Press ! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...
They Helped Topple Roe v. Wade. Now Their Sights Are Set on Britain.
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:29 PM
It’s a bit disturbing that this story doesn’t seem to have made the British Press ! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...
Another year of teaching well underway !!!!
October 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Another year of teaching well underway !!!!
For anyone interested in the world of 'Multiple Intelligences', this is a great piece of writing. It's very disturbing to hear the father of multiple intelligences say that he's right, even if the evidence contradicts him !!! carlhendrick.substack.com/p/comfortabl...
Comfortable Fictions: The Myth of Multiple Intelligences
Why moral certainty keeps bad ideas alive in our schools
carlhendrick.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:43 PM
For anyone interested in the world of 'Multiple Intelligences', this is a great piece of writing. It's very disturbing to hear the father of multiple intelligences say that he's right, even if the evidence contradicts him !!! carlhendrick.substack.com/p/comfortabl...
Really looking forward to reading all of this paper. Seems like a useful additional factor in understanding conspiracy belief link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The ‘sour grapes’ of conspiracy theories: how does the emotion of ressentiment predict conspiracy beliefs? - Acta Politica
This research examines how negative emotions affect the degree to which people endorse conspiracy theories. Conspiracy beliefs typically flourish in contemporary politics that evoke negative emotions. In the present article, we hypothesized that citizens in ressentiment, a particular emotional state salient in contemporary grievance politics, is a key underpinning of why people believe in conspiracy theories. Ressentiment is a multi-layered emotion, within which perceptions of unfairness, bitterness, and feelings of (suppressed) anger are central. Across three studies, we examined the role of ressentiment in predicting belief in conspiracy theories. Study 1 (United Kingdom, N = 300) and Study 2 (United States, N = 300) revealed a positive relationship between ressentiment, measured through a validated scale, and belief in conspiracy theories. This relationship was mediated by rejection of the status quo. In Study 3 (United States, N = 300, pre-registered), we used a vignette describing a fictitious country to experimentally show that evoking ressentiment (vs. control condition) significantly increased belief in conspiracy theories. Taken together, these findings reveal that ressentiment is central for understanding the emotional roots of believing in conspiracy theories.
link.springer.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Really looking forward to reading all of this paper. Seems like a useful additional factor in understanding conspiracy belief link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Genuine question for the Economists out there : Is this a financial bubble fuelled by a small number of very large companies making huge investments in each other ?? Are any AI companies anywhere near making sustainable profits ???
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/t...
OpenAI Agrees to Use Computer Chips from AMD
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Genuine question for the Economists out there : Is this a financial bubble fuelled by a small number of very large companies making huge investments in each other ?? Are any AI companies anywhere near making sustainable profits ???
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/t...
Definitely one for an 'in-class' discussion. Be being worried about Gen AI 'friends' for children just me having a 'moral panic' ?? www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
‘My son genuinely believed it was real’: Parents are letting little kids play with AI. Are they wrong?
Some believe AI can spark their child’s imagination through personalized stories and generative images. Scientists are wary of its affect on creativity
www.theguardian.com
October 2, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Definitely one for an 'in-class' discussion. Be being worried about Gen AI 'friends' for children just me having a 'moral panic' ?? www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
As a non-user it’s easy to forget the power of Facebook in the spread of disinformation www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Inside the everyday Facebook networks where far-right ideas grow
The Guardian spent a year studying an online community trading in anti-immigration sentiment and misinformation. Experts say such spaces can play a role in radicalisation
www.theguardian.com
September 29, 2025 at 8:58 AM
As a non-user it’s easy to forget the power of Facebook in the spread of disinformation www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Excellent resource for anyone (like me !!) who is going to need to address Autism and Tylenol/Paracetemol in their teaching this week ! www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...
www.bmj.com
September 26, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Excellent resource for anyone (like me !!) who is going to need to address Autism and Tylenol/Paracetemol in their teaching this week ! www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...
Great turn out for the celebration of 50 years of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London
September 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Great turn out for the celebration of 50 years of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London
The ideal thing to put on the side of a bus
September 22, 2025 at 7:45 AM
The ideal thing to put on the side of a bus
Yet another one for the ‘must read’ pile
Out now in Journal Of Cognitive Psychology: The effects of beliefs on correcting misinformation in memory. #psychscisky www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The effects of beliefs on correcting misinformation in memory
We are faced with false information (misinformation) and corrections regularly. Typically, we have no problem correcting misinformation. However, there are individual differences in how effective p...
www.tandfonline.com
September 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Yet another one for the ‘must read’ pile
It’s astonishing that I talked about Clearview AI four years ago with our UEL Psychology students, and it felt like SciFi. Now it’s disturbing reality !
ICE handed the controversial facial recognition company its biggest federal contract to date as it continues its illegal immigration crackdown.
ICE To Pay Up To $10 Million For Clearview Facial Recognition To Investigate Agent Assaults
ICE handed the controversial facial recognition company its biggest federal contract to date as it continues its illegal immigration crackdown.
www.forbes.com
September 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
It’s astonishing that I talked about Clearview AI four years ago with our UEL Psychology students, and it felt like SciFi. Now it’s disturbing reality !
How am I supposed to teach new undergraduates about ‘Science’, when this is OK with the UK’s most popular political party ? Is asking for a reasoned assessment of ALL the evidence a sign that I’m politically biased ? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Doctor uses Reform conference speech to link king’s cancer to Covid vaccine
Aseem Malhotra claimed ‘eminent oncologist’ said jab was ‘significant factor in the cancer of members of royal family’
www.theguardian.com
September 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
How am I supposed to teach new undergraduates about ‘Science’, when this is OK with the UK’s most popular political party ? Is asking for a reasoned assessment of ALL the evidence a sign that I’m politically biased ? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...