Ullrich Ecker
@ulliecker.bsky.social
I study effects of misinformation.
Professor at the School of Psychological Science and Fellow of the Public Policy Institute at the University of Western Australia
Views my own.
Professor at the School of Psychological Science and Fellow of the Public Policy Institute at the University of Western Australia
Views my own.
Happy to share a new paper (accepted at J Environ Psych), led by the amazing @emilyspearing.bsky.social
Black Summer Arson: Examining the Impact of Climate Misinformation and Corrections on Reasoning
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@johnfocook.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
Black Summer Arson: Examining the Impact of Climate Misinformation and Corrections on Reasoning
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@johnfocook.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
OSF
osf.io
October 31, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Happy to share a new paper (accepted at J Environ Psych), led by the amazing @emilyspearing.bsky.social
Black Summer Arson: Examining the Impact of Climate Misinformation and Corrections on Reasoning
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@johnfocook.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
Black Summer Arson: Examining the Impact of Climate Misinformation and Corrections on Reasoning
osf.io/preprints/ps...
@johnfocook.bsky.social @lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
I hear a lot about misinformation as a "symptom" of "distrust". Here we test this & find that while trust is important, it doesn't buffer: misinfo isn't mitigated by high trust. Both misinfo & distrust *independently* predict vaccine denial. It's a disease of its own!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 30, 2025 at 8:56 AM
I hear a lot about misinformation as a "symptom" of "distrust". Here we test this & find that while trust is important, it doesn't buffer: misinfo isn't mitigated by high trust. Both misinfo & distrust *independently* predict vaccine denial. It's a disease of its own!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Having to go to some chatbot to get misinformation is such a waste of time. That's why we need to put this right in the browser so you can get your misinformation faster.
"The analysis found 45% of all AI answers to questions about news and current affairs had at least one significant issue; 31% had missing, misleading, or incorrect attributions, and 20% contained major accuracy issues."
www.ebu.ch/Report/MIS-B...
www.ebu.ch/Report/MIS-B...
www.ebu.ch
October 22, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Having to go to some chatbot to get misinformation is such a waste of time. That's why we need to put this right in the browser so you can get your misinformation faster.
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess
October 21, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess
Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored
Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊
Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek,
@profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social
Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊
Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek,
@profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social
Why #misinformation must not be ignored - A new, open access article by @ulliecker.bsky.social and colleagues, published in American Psychologist bit.ly/4pJ20fY
September 27, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored
Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊
Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek,
@profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social
Quite proud of this paper, which just received the journal's APA Editor's Choice award 😊
Big thanks to my coauthors Li Qian Tay, Jon Roozenbeek,
@profsanderlinden.bsky.social, John Cook, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, and @lewan.bsky.social
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
"The danger isn’t just the extreme cases — it’s the slow erosion of social trust"
some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social
some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social
Experts reveal how to change a conspiracy theorist’s mind
Did Dezi Freeman really kill two police officers or was he framed by the Government? This is one question being posed on a Facebook group for last weekend’s March for Australia anti-immigration rallie...
thewest.com.au
September 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
"The danger isn’t just the extreme cases — it’s the slow erosion of social trust"
some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social
some informed opinions on this featuring experts in the space including @ulliecker.bsky.social @drdanieljolley.bsky.social
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
"Five tactics used by industry to undermine science. The disinformation playbook tactics are employed by industry during the scientific process and the science-based decision-making process"
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity - Journal of Public Health Policy
For decades, corporate undermining of scientific consensus has eroded the scientific process worldwide. Guardrails for protecting science-informed processes, from peer review to regulatory decision ma...
link.springer.com
September 7, 2025 at 4:11 AM
"Five tactics used by industry to undermine science. The disinformation playbook tactics are employed by industry during the scientific process and the science-based decision-making process"
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Honored to receive the Chancellor's Award for Research for this co-authored paper on the psychology of misinformation. It was really affirming to receive recognition for this research while the field is under attack and misinfo grants are being cancelled. 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
September 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Honored to receive the Chancellor's Award for Research for this co-authored paper on the psychology of misinformation. It was really affirming to receive recognition for this research while the field is under attack and misinfo grants are being cancelled. 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Great ECR job opportunity on the project “A Unified Computational Model of How Humans Use Automated Advice”: external.jobs.uwa.edu.au/en/job/52075...
Prospective staff : Jobs at UWA : The University Of Western Australia
external.jobs.uwa.edu.au
July 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Great ECR job opportunity on the project “A Unified Computational Model of How Humans Use Automated Advice”: external.jobs.uwa.edu.au/en/job/52075...
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Happy to share our new research on AI-generated visual misinformation - we find that specific media literacy tips about AI images improve misinformation discernment over general tips about fake news.
Feedback and comments welcome!
doi.org/10.1186/s412...
#psychsky #phdsky
Feedback and comments welcome!
doi.org/10.1186/s412...
#psychsky #phdsky
Specific media literacy tips improve AI-generated visual misinformation discernment - Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
Images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly realistic, sparking discussions and fears about an impending “infodemic” where we can no longer trust what we see on the in...
doi.org
July 4, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Happy to share our new research on AI-generated visual misinformation - we find that specific media literacy tips about AI images improve misinformation discernment over general tips about fake news.
Feedback and comments welcome!
doi.org/10.1186/s412...
#psychsky #phdsky
Feedback and comments welcome!
doi.org/10.1186/s412...
#psychsky #phdsky
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
AI summaries kill search traffic. This has been an obvious consequence of Google's AI summary strategy since its inception.
Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs.
Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...
Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs.
Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...
July 5, 2025 at 7:38 AM
AI summaries kill search traffic. This has been an obvious consequence of Google's AI summary strategy since its inception.
Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs.
Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...
Apparently the training data is so valuable that Google is willing to risk the neck of the goose that lays golden eggs.
Screenshot: thebullshitmachines.com/lesson-9-blu...
A very important paper led by the phenomenal @lucy-h-butler.bsky.social
Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective.
@lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social
Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective.
@lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social
A 2023 NHB paper concluded that corrections of science-relevant misinformation are, on average, ineffective. Our response (in press) challenges this conclusion, showing why corrections *are* effective, and why considering measurement is important:
🔗 osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/5)
🔗 osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/5)
OSF
osf.io
June 27, 2025 at 11:48 PM
A very important paper led by the phenomenal @lucy-h-butler.bsky.social
Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective.
@lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social
Say it with me: Corrections. Of. Scientific. Misinformation. Are. Effective.
@lewan.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @lkfazio.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @emilyspearing.bsky.social
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
🧵 THREAD: Why the Cato Institute’s new paper on “misinformation panic” is dangerously wrong, and why it completely misunderstands the real crisis we face.
www.cato.org/policy-analy...
www.cato.org/policy-analy...
The Misleading Panic over Misinformation
People can’t agree on how to define misinformation and its related terms, making regulation nearly impossible. Instead, free expression serves as a better tool for discovering truth.
www.cato.org
June 27, 2025 at 6:50 AM
🧵 THREAD: Why the Cato Institute’s new paper on “misinformation panic” is dangerously wrong, and why it completely misunderstands the real crisis we face.
www.cato.org/policy-analy...
www.cato.org/policy-analy...
Very excited to see this out today - led by the fabulous @emilyspearing.bsky.social
@lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Countering AI-generated misinformation with pre-emptive source discreditation and debunking | Royal Society Open Science
Despite widespread concerns over AI-generated misinformation, its impact on people’s
reasoning and the effectiveness of countermeasures remain unclear. This study examined
whether a pre-emptive, sourc...
royalsocietypublishing.org
June 25, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Very excited to see this out today - led by the fabulous @emilyspearing.bsky.social
@lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@lewan.bsky.social @brionyswire.bsky.social @tobyprike.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Hey Australia, let's stay out of this one, yeah?
June 21, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Hey Australia, let's stay out of this one, yeah?
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook: A Scholars' Guide to Navigating Democratic Backsliding
The Anti-Autocracy Handbook is a call to action, resilience, and collective defence of democracy, truth, and academic freedom in the face of mounting authoritarianism. It tries to provide guidance to ...
sks.to
June 19, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I am privileged to announce the publication of the Anti-Autocracy Handbook: sks.to/autocracy 1/12
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Thanks so much for a fabulous #sarmac2025, @ciaragreene.bsky.social @gillian-murphy.bsky.social! Many details made it such a joyess Irish-tinted celebration of the sarmac community. You're legends & we're immensely grateful ❤️ And I'm wildly proud of this lot too! (Thxs for putting up with me x)
June 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Thanks so much for a fabulous #sarmac2025, @ciaragreene.bsky.social @gillian-murphy.bsky.social! Many details made it such a joyess Irish-tinted celebration of the sarmac community. You're legends & we're immensely grateful ❤️ And I'm wildly proud of this lot too! (Thxs for putting up with me x)
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Finally Mitch Dobbs on how correcting false claims can affect source credibility. Why do we see differences between politicians and doctors (corrections decrease trust in lying doctors but not politicians)? Possibly differences in initial trust. #sarmac2025 26/
June 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Finally Mitch Dobbs on how correcting false claims can affect source credibility. Why do we see differences between politicians and doctors (corrections decrease trust in lying doctors but not politicians)? Possibly differences in initial trust. #sarmac2025 26/
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Next is @ulliecker.bsky.social on misinformation spread in communication chains. Rather than look at transmission from one to many (eg social media), look at peer-to-peer transmission of misinformation corrections (game of telephone). #sarmac2025 21/
June 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Next is @ulliecker.bsky.social on misinformation spread in communication chains. Rather than look at transmission from one to many (eg social media), look at peer-to-peer transmission of misinformation corrections (game of telephone). #sarmac2025 21/
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Next @emilyspearing.bsky.social on AI-generated misinformation, its influence and how to correct it. Expected more misinfo reliance in human and AI condition, inoculation would reduce beliefs, trust boost would increase belief and disclaimer would have no impact.
#sarmac2025 24/
#sarmac2025 24/
June 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Next @emilyspearing.bsky.social on AI-generated misinformation, its influence and how to correct it. Expected more misinfo reliance in human and AI condition, inoculation would reduce beliefs, trust boost would increase belief and disclaimer would have no impact.
#sarmac2025 24/
#sarmac2025 24/
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
My latest column in Science went up yesterday doi.org/10.1126/scie... . I argue that “Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. 1/n
Public health suffers when those in power dismiss knowledge
“Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. In today’s world, we frequently encounter a different variant of this philosophy, perhaps best de...
doi.org
June 6, 2025 at 4:17 PM
My latest column in Science went up yesterday doi.org/10.1126/scie... . I argue that “Knowledge is power”—or at least it was when Sir Francis Bacon coined this phrase in the 16th century. 1/n
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Very pleased to be part of this next Wednesday at 11 am CET (10 am UK). Register here: www.socialchangelab.net/academicrepr... of possible interest to: @scibeh.bsky.social @karmaos.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @jagolinzer.bsky.social
May 26, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Very pleased to be part of this next Wednesday at 11 am CET (10 am UK). Register here: www.socialchangelab.net/academicrepr... of possible interest to: @scibeh.bsky.social @karmaos.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social @profsanderlinden.bsky.social @jagolinzer.bsky.social
Very glad to see this out:
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Special Issue
Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights
psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES...
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Special Issue
Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights
psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES...
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
May 25, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Very glad to see this out:
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Special Issue
Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights
psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES...
Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Special Issue
Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights
psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES...
Reposted by Ullrich Ecker
Coming soon, a special issue of #JARMAC on #Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights, guest edited by Ulli Ecker. @apajournals.bsky.social
May 16, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Coming soon, a special issue of #JARMAC on #Misinformation: Current Directions and New Insights, guest edited by Ulli Ecker. @apajournals.bsky.social