mat marques, ph.d.
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mdmarques.com
mat marques, ph.d.
@mdmarques.com
2.5K followers 440 following 460 posts
bicycles, coffee, and social psychology.
researches the causes and consequences of #conspiracytheories
he/him. woiworung land.
https://mdmarques.com
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mdmarques.com
honestly, I hope this paper leads to some serious discussion because it has some key important learnings.

also I think some of us feel like we missed a beat in not labeling it the 'moustache' effect (as we do in private), so we'll have to be happy with M or W effects in public.
Highlights The midpoint of the left–right self-placement item is hiding important political diversity and may be conflating moderate responders with populists and other political subgroups. Survey researchers should consider this problem when examining relationships between political orientation and political attitudes. We suggest testing for nonlinearity in these relationships, and measuring anti-establishment and populist beliefs separately. Researchers interested in building theories explaining the psychological underpinnings of ideological extremism should also consider the possibility that a qualitatively different type of ideological extremist self-places on the midpoint.
October 23, 2025 at 6:04 AM
mdmarques.com
my kind of research. cycling and politics!

"We find that even brief, positive interventions move
votes away from the far right, which is in line with the left-behind accounts"

sciety-discovery.elifesciences.org/articles/by?...
Cycling through Elections: The Political Consequences of the Tour de France Ala Alrababah Maelle Delouis-Jost Germain Gauthier Adam Polak Abstract Do place-based interventions that raise visibility and economic activity affect far-right voting? We study the Tour de France (TdF) as a case of brief but visible exposure that combines economic activity with symbolic recognition. Using variation in the annual TdF route between 2002 and 2022, we show that exposed municipalities experience declines in far-right support of 0.03–0.04 standard deviations. The effect exceeds 0.1 standard deviations in recent elections and is strongest in poorer areas and in towns with high prior far-right support. We find evidence consistent with the symbolic mechanism and mixed evidence for the economic one. TdF exposure increases local GDP per capita, effects on voting are larger when French riders win stages, and a two-wave survey around the 2025 TdF provides suggestive evidence that residents in exposed towns report greater recognition. These results contribute to research on geographic inequalities, symbolic politics, and the consequences of place-based interventions.
October 22, 2025 at 10:13 PM
mdmarques.com
this morning, a sobering and important read

It’s (a) Shame: Why Poverty Leads to Support for Authoritarianism
@neerdaels.bsky.social, Tröster & Van Quaquebeke

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Abstract The literature has widely discussed and supported the relationship between poverty and support for authoritarian leaders and regimes. However, there are different claims about the mediating mechanism and a lack of empirical tests. We hypothesize that the effect of poverty on support for authoritarianism is mediated by shame: People living in poverty frequently experience social exclusion and devaluation, which is reflected in feelings of shame. Such shame, in turn, is likely to increase support for authoritarianism, mainly due to the promise of social re-inclusion. We support our hypothesis in two controlled experiments and a large-scale field study while empirically ruling out the two main alternative explanations offered in the literature: stress and anxiety. Finally, we discuss how the present findings can support policymakers in efficiently addressing the negative political consequences of poverty.
October 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM
mdmarques.com
picked up a copy of this at a local--although it was described as a coffee table book to me, maybe for tiny coffee tables? (h/t @lingtax.bsky.social)

"This book deals with Design and Conspiracy Theories, two things that are often thought of as opposites"

www.setmargins.press/books/conspi...
Holding a copy of a small book titled Conspiratorial Design with timber decking floor in the background.
October 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM
mdmarques.com
October 5, 2025 at 5:48 AM
mdmarques.com
amazing (first time for me) visit to royal botanic gardens. incredible flora and fauna (also saw a bandicoot)
October 5, 2025 at 5:47 AM
mdmarques.com
my TV viewing buddy (Bowie) fast asleep during the UCI Elite Men's Road World Championship
#couchpeloton
Black Labrador sleeping on couch with television on in background with UCI Cycling Qorld Championships Elite Men race
September 28, 2025 at 9:32 AM
mdmarques.com
here are two examples of expert science communication around the links between paracetamol/tylenol and autism--responding to medical myths.

on the left is a good example, where the myth is raised, explained, evidence provided to explain lack of support for the myth.

one on the right, not so much.
Australia’s peak medical body, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said no studies supported the Trump administration’s claims linking paracetamol to autism in children. The AMA president, Dr Danielle McMullen, told ABC radio that some studies had shown an “association”. “But there’s also been really large studies showing that there’s no association,” she said. “And it’s important to remember that association doesn’t mean cause. It could be that there’s a whole range of things that happened during pregnancies, and one of those was that the pregnant mother took paracetamol, but it also could be that she had a fever or there were genetic factors. “In fact, in autism, it’s most likely that autism is linked with genetic factors as its primary driver but we really don’t know the full cause of autism.” Scientific research has shown there might be a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism, but no causal relationship has been proven. “Evidence is mixed,” said Associate Professor Kevin Yap from La Trobe University. Australian researchers have also warned that, contrary to Trump’s advice, there are risks from not treating high fever during pregnancy. A sustained high fever is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and fetal malformations. Experts advise that paracetamol is the safest way to control a fever in pregnancy.
September 23, 2025 at 1:47 AM
mdmarques.com
good point. I think pushing the narrative that taking them separately is somehow safer--despite the available evidence, but you know feelings!--not only erodes confidence, but a bunch of other factors that feed into vaccination decision (see BeSD framework)
September 22, 2025 at 10:26 PM
mdmarques.com
I feel your pain
September 22, 2025 at 4:22 AM
mdmarques.com
Komorebi is the Japanese word for the shimmering of light and shadows that is created by leaves swaing in the wind. It only exists once, at that moment.
September 18, 2025 at 11:22 AM
mdmarques.com
on a sunday elephant safari
Several elephants including babies standing about at the new Werribee Zoo enclosure
September 14, 2025 at 5:41 AM
mdmarques.com
right. I use this as an example in lectures on conformity with a set of tweets illustrating false consensus and pluralistic ignorance effects (c/o this exchange between @ulliecker.bsky.social and @joshbutler.bsky.social )
September 1, 2025 at 3:22 AM
mdmarques.com
once again, almost 70yrs ago social psychologists were talking about this with failed prophecies for 'cults'. the four conditions continue to strengthen the belief, despite evidence of disconfirmatory evidence.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Pr...
Conditions for increased fervour after disconfirmation Condition Effect "1. A belief must be held with deep conviction and it must have some relevance to action, that is, to what the believer does or how he or she behaves." Makes the belief resistant to change. "2. The person holding the belief must have committed himself to it; that is, for the sake of his belief, he must have taken some important action that is difficult to undo. In general, the more important such actions are, and the more difficult they are to undo, the greater is the individual's commitment to the belief." Makes the belief resistant to change. "3. The belief must be sufficiently specific and sufficiently concerned with the real world so that events may unequivocally refute the belief." Exposes believers to the possibility of their belief being disproved. "4. Such undeniable disconfirmatory evidence must occur and must be recognized by the individual holding the belief." Exerts pressure on believers to abandon their belief. "5. The individual believer must have social support." While an individual might be unable to resist the pressure to abandon their belief in the face of disconfirming facts, a group might be able to support each other to maintain the belief.
August 19, 2025 at 1:34 AM
mdmarques.com
friend just sent me this photo.

love the packaging @arielbogle.bsky.social & @cameronwilson.bsky.social
#conspiracynation
Conspiracy Nation book by Ariel Bogle & Cam Wilson inside tin foil packaging.
August 13, 2025 at 9:56 PM
mdmarques.com
genuinely curious at what secrets will be uncovered in this Aussie exposé of #conspiracytheories down under by @arielbogle.bsky.social and @cameronwilson.bsky.social
Book cover of Conspiracy Nation by Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson.
July 28, 2025 at 3:15 AM
mdmarques.com
I think I am pretty close to what looks like a line of best fit there
www.abc.net.au/news/vote-co...
Vote compass results showing Progressive/Left to Conservative/Right space across Social and Economic axes. Top left (More Progressive/Left) is Greens parth with my views just down and to the right a bit. ALP is quite centrist, just left on economic issues, with Liberal Nationa Party down a bit further on Economic and Social Right/Conservative with One Nation Party near bottom corner (Economic Right / Conservative)
April 2, 2025 at 5:46 AM
mdmarques.com
watch out for the sociopathy and neoliberal effects on them newborn babies!
Newborn babies who are inadequate in iodine could be sluggish and tough to nourish. If they are not handled, they are likely to attain sociopathy, which will result in poor overall economic growth and cognitive disability [85].
April 1, 2025 at 5:29 AM
mdmarques.com
who's a happy boy?
Black Labrador named Bowie lying down on a wooden floor with his back up against a desk/bookcase. Has a satisfied look on his face.
March 24, 2025 at 6:22 AM
mdmarques.com
Post a ship that’s not Star Wars or Star Trek
Artwork created for Dune by British science fiction artist Chris Foss
March 24, 2025 at 2:10 AM
mdmarques.com
not everyone is pleased with a meter long pumpkin
Out son holding a pumpkin with a sullen look.
March 14, 2025 at 6:31 AM
mdmarques.com
back at my/kid's favourite park. in commemoration of the 1966 Westall UFO sighting

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westall...
March 2, 2025 at 3:20 AM
mdmarques.com
a regular reminder that this header only serves to frustrate anyone trying to access/read a paper
February 18, 2025 at 1:25 AM
mdmarques.com
True believers, entertainers, and skeptical scholars: claims and frames on conspiracy TikTok

"We argue that this environment creates epistemic generosity in which commenters and creators alike feel comfortable creating and sharing their own theories and evidence"
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
ABSTRACT While conspiracy theories are prominent on social media, they also increase audience engagement. It is thus unclear how many creators “believe” the theories they espouse, especially when they are outrageous or counter to mainstream belief. We investigate how conspiratorial social media creators position themselves in relation to the claims in their videos, the evidence they present, and their audiences. We apply qualitative content analysis to ConspiracyTok videos and comments. Creators position themselves vis-à-vis claims as having personal stakes in their veracity; emphasizing enjoyment; or adjudicating through evidence-backed research. Creators appeal to common experiences, promoting community engagement, construing viewers as extraordinary insiders, and encouraging collective research. These actions allow creators to cultivate generative, welcoming environments where even skeptical commenters often approach conspiratorial TikToks using the same epistemological frameworks as creators, a generous epistemology. Most commenters are not skeptical of creators’ claims, instead extending creators’ claims through “yes and” comments and additional research. We provide insight into the popularity of and difficulty in combating conspiracy theories on “fun” youth-oriented platforms like TikTok. We argue that this environment creates epistemic generosity in which commenters and creators alike feel comfortable creating and sharing their own theories and evidence. A generous epistemology is a mode of truth that says “yes, and” rather than “no,” acknowledging multiple truth claims as valid even when they contradict or seem preposterous. Rather than rejecting outrageous or incorrect information, a generous epistemic environment encourages asking questions, doing research, and sharing experiences, presuming a communal approach to knowledge creation that still allows each person to believe what they think is best. The commonality comes from subscribing to this mode of inquiry rather than believing individual truths themselves. Thus, people who are “into conspiracy theories” can believe wildly different things while sharing a commitment to “going down the rabbit hole” and “doing their own research” and an antipathy to institutionalized knowledge production. This also explains why many ConspiracyTok creators produce videos on many diverse topics – they are interested not necessarily in individual conspiracies but the nature of conspiracies themselves.
February 18, 2025 at 12:26 AM
mdmarques.com
jam packed new issue of Advances in Experimental Social Psychology with topics including:
• #conspiracytheories
• #intellectualhumility
• #sciencerejection
and more

www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/a...
Chapter One - The social psychology of conspiracy theories: Key insights and future challenges Karen M. Douglas, Robbie M. Sutton Pages 1-68 Chapter Two - Fostering inclusion: Understanding the factors that enhance and undermine identity-safety Evava S. Pietri, India R. Johnson, Veronica Derricks, Sheba Aikawa Pages 69-134 Chapter Three - Intellectual humility: On recognizing our limits Tenelle Porter Pages 135-179 Chapter Four - Ideology, motivation, and consistency between beliefs and behaviors Kristin Laurin, Khai Qing Chua Pages 181-241 Chapter Five - The psychology of science rejection Bastiaan T. Rutjens, Matthew J. Hornsey Pages 243-280
February 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM