Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol
Stephan is a cognitive scientist, currently Chair of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol and a member of the university's Cabot Institute. His research examines people’s memory and decision making, with particular emphasis on how people respond to corrections of misinformation. He has published over 140 scholarly articles, chapters, and books, including a recent journal article on how people process information about the Iraq War, which revealed the important role of skepticism in people’s ability to update their memories. He was elected a fellow of the Center for Skeptical Inquiry in 2015.
Stephan was awarded a Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council in 2011, and he received a Wolfson Research Merit Fellowship from the Royal Society upon moving to the UK in 2013. He has contributed numerous opinion pieces to the national media on issues related to war and terrorism, and climate change. He is particularly interested in the difference between skepticism and denial when it comes to climate change.
He is one of the principals of http://www.shapingtomorrowsworld.org, a website dedicated to discussing solutions to the multiple crises facing our societies—from responses to climate change to new forms of generating energy.
Disinformation threatens global elections – here’s how to fight back
Feb 16, 2024 07:07 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
With over half the worlds population heading to the polls in 2024, disinformation season is upon us and the warnings are dire. The World Economic Forum declared misinformation a top societal threat over the next two years...
Jan 03, 2022 12:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views
We are in a crisis now and omicron has made it harder to imagine the pandemic ending. But it will not last forever. When the COVID outbreak is over, what do we want the world to look like? In the early stages of the...
We have the vaccine for climate disinformation – let's use it
Jan 30, 2020 23:48 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Australias recent bushfire crisis will be remembered for many things not least, the tragic loss of life, property and landscape. But one other factor made it remarkable: the deluge of disinformation spread by climate...
Why people vote for politicians they know are liars
Dec 22, 2019 14:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Britain recently elected a prime minister who unlawfully shut down parliament to escape democratic scrutiny and who tells blatant falsehoods whenever it suits him. Boris Johnson casually denies the presence of media in...
Gaslighting: from partners to politicians – how to avoid becoming a victim
Aug 15, 2019 17:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
President Donald Trumps statement on the horrific mass shooting in El Paso on August 3 that killed 22 people and injured 24 covered a lot of ground. From video games and mental illness to the death penalty, the president...
There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well