Raunak Pillai
@rmpillai.bsky.social
Social Psychology Postdoc, NYU
Incoming Assistant Professor, Cognitive Science, Stony Brook University ('26)
rmpillai.com
Incoming Assistant Professor, Cognitive Science, Stony Brook University ('26)
rmpillai.com
I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook in Fall '26!
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
November 6, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook in Fall '26!
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
My lab will take a social cognitive approach to studying how we form/update our beliefs and why we disagree about what is true vs false
I'll also be reviewing grad apps! See below for more info
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
"Vanderbilt is failing in its moral responsibility to push back against rising authoritarianism and political coercion."
My effort to convince Vanderbilt (and all universities) to take a stand for the rule of law, the Constitution, and our democracy.
www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...
My effort to convince Vanderbilt (and all universities) to take a stand for the rule of law, the Constitution, and our democracy.
www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...
Here's why Vanderbilt's response to the Trump higher ed 'compact' is not enough | Opinion
With the deadline looming for colleges to sign Trump's "compact," Vanderbilt must resist, says one university professor.
www.tennessean.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:32 PM
"Vanderbilt is failing in its moral responsibility to push back against rising authoritarianism and political coercion."
My effort to convince Vanderbilt (and all universities) to take a stand for the rule of law, the Constitution, and our democracy.
www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...
My effort to convince Vanderbilt (and all universities) to take a stand for the rule of law, the Constitution, and our democracy.
www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
I'm excited to finally have a preprint of this paper up, a few years in the making.
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
October 24, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I'm excited to finally have a preprint of this paper up, a few years in the making.
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
New from me and @brendannyhan.bsky.social
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
New from me and @brendannyhan.bsky.social
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
New preprint: From vaccinations to masking, politics predicts health behaviors. In this review we discuss these differences in light of classic psychological theories of group identity and behavioral decision-making.
We welcome any feedback on this working paper!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
We welcome any feedback on this working paper!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
September 5, 2025 at 1:57 PM
New preprint: From vaccinations to masking, politics predicts health behaviors. In this review we discuss these differences in light of classic psychological theories of group identity and behavioral decision-making.
We welcome any feedback on this working paper!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
We welcome any feedback on this working paper!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
🚨 10 Days Until Stand Up for Science, and some HUGE NEWS! - Take Action With Us! 🚨
We’re excited to announce 32 official Stand Up for Science events happening across the country on March 7th!
🧵⬇️
We’re excited to announce 32 official Stand Up for Science events happening across the country on March 7th!
🧵⬇️
February 26, 2025 at 2:54 AM
🚨 10 Days Until Stand Up for Science, and some HUGE NEWS! - Take Action With Us! 🚨
We’re excited to announce 32 official Stand Up for Science events happening across the country on March 7th!
🧵⬇️
We’re excited to announce 32 official Stand Up for Science events happening across the country on March 7th!
🧵⬇️
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
In a new article now out in Collabora: Psychology, @rmpillai.bsky.social and I find that the mere repetition of information increases estimates of its consensus, a finding we refer to as an “illusory consensus effect.”
An Illusory Consensus Effect: The Mere Repetition of Information Increases Estimates That Others Would Believe or Already Know It
How do people estimate the prevalence of beliefs and knowledge among others? Here, we examine the hypothesis that mere repetition of information increases such perceptions of consensus — an “illusory ...
online.ucpress.edu
October 19, 2024 at 4:43 PM
In a new article now out in Collabora: Psychology, @rmpillai.bsky.social and I find that the mere repetition of information increases estimates of its consensus, a finding we refer to as an “illusory consensus effect.”
Reposted by Raunak Pillai
S+P Psychologists, Michael Kraus put together an excellent letter calling on social and personality psychologists to meet the moment re protecting students' rights to free speech. He would love faculty signatures! If you're a PhD Student, please send this around!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Social and Personality Psychologists on Student Protests for Justice in Palestine
docs.google.com
April 27, 2024 at 11:53 PM
S+P Psychologists, Michael Kraus put together an excellent letter calling on social and personality psychologists to meet the moment re protecting students' rights to free speech. He would love faculty signatures! If you're a PhD Student, please send this around!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...