mat marques, ph.d.
@mdmarques.com
bicycles, coffee, and social psychology.
researches the causes and consequences of #conspiracytheories
he/him. woiworung land.
https://mdmarques.com
researches the causes and consequences of #conspiracytheories
he/him. woiworung land.
https://mdmarques.com
Pinned
mat marques, ph.d.
@mdmarques.com
· Dec 4
The effect of scientific conspiracy theories on scepticism towards biotechnologies
excited to see this #conspiracytheories paper out w/ collaborators @scicomguy.bsky.social, Art Stukas, & Jim McLennan
Will write a 🧵 soon but for now here's the #openaccess link
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
excited to see this #conspiracytheories paper out w/ collaborators @scicomguy.bsky.social, Art Stukas, & Jim McLennan
Will write a 🧵 soon but for now here's the #openaccess link
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
Happy to share a new preprint with
@tomcostello.bsky.social, @dgrand.bsky.social and @gordpennycook.bsky.social 🧵
"What beliefs are most debunkable?" osf.io/preprints/ps...
We investigate the characteristics of the beliefs that are (or are not) influenced by counterevidence in 3,341 AI dialogues.
@tomcostello.bsky.social, @dgrand.bsky.social and @gordpennycook.bsky.social 🧵
"What beliefs are most debunkable?" osf.io/preprints/ps...
We investigate the characteristics of the beliefs that are (or are not) influenced by counterevidence in 3,341 AI dialogues.
September 21, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Happy to share a new preprint with
@tomcostello.bsky.social, @dgrand.bsky.social and @gordpennycook.bsky.social 🧵
"What beliefs are most debunkable?" osf.io/preprints/ps...
We investigate the characteristics of the beliefs that are (or are not) influenced by counterevidence in 3,341 AI dialogues.
@tomcostello.bsky.social, @dgrand.bsky.social and @gordpennycook.bsky.social 🧵
"What beliefs are most debunkable?" osf.io/preprints/ps...
We investigate the characteristics of the beliefs that are (or are not) influenced by counterevidence in 3,341 AI dialogues.
PSA apropos of nothing… a few weeks back I went to a Massive Attack gig and learnt of Adam Curtis. weeks later down a rabbit hole watching docos and recommend Hypernormalisation, Can't Get You Out of My Head, and Shifty. Wild jump cuts, dream like sequences, and incredible archive footage-see Bruno
Adam Curtis takes us into a world gone Shifty
The acclaimed documentary filmmaker's guide to some of the key clips from his latest series.
www.bbc.com
September 4, 2026 at 12:44 AM
PSA apropos of nothing… a few weeks back I went to a Massive Attack gig and learnt of Adam Curtis. weeks later down a rabbit hole watching docos and recommend Hypernormalisation, Can't Get You Out of My Head, and Shifty. Wild jump cuts, dream like sequences, and incredible archive footage-see Bruno
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
A psychology journal has retracted a seminal 2002 paper on deadlines and procrastination coauthored by behavioral scientist Dan Ariely of Duke University just days after a team of sleuths published analyses of the original study data, finding it had been tampered with.
Procrastination study by Duke’s Dan Ariely retracted after sleuths find signs of data tampering
A psychology journal has retracted a seminal 2002 paper on deadlines and procrastination coauthored by behavioral scientist Dan Ariely of Duke University just days after a team of sleuths published…
retractionwatch.com
September 3, 2026 at 11:50 PM
A psychology journal has retracted a seminal 2002 paper on deadlines and procrastination coauthored by behavioral scientist Dan Ariely of Duke University just days after a team of sleuths published analyses of the original study data, finding it had been tampered with.
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
Twenty years on from Gardasil vaccine launch, Australia on track to eliminate cervical cancer
Australia on track to eliminate cervical cancer 20 years on from vaccine launch
Twenty years on from the launch of the world-first vaccine against cervical cancer, Australian Immunisation Register data shows HPV vaccine coverage for girls and girls is dropping.
www.abc.net.au
August 27, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Twenty years on from Gardasil vaccine launch, Australia on track to eliminate cervical cancer
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
A very, very small minority is making a lot of noise, but they've been tragically bad at influencing people. More info here - cpas.anu.edu.au/australian-b...
The Australian Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Science Survey 2026
This report was designed, analysed and written by Dr Matthew S. Nurse and Associate Professor Will J. Grant, and funded by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) at ...
cpas.anu.edu.au
August 25, 2026 at 6:53 AM
A very, very small minority is making a lot of noise, but they've been tragically bad at influencing people. More info here - cpas.anu.edu.au/australian-b...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
The Jason Arday saga made me furious and sad in equal measure so I wrote about it.
The whole thing is deeply unpleasant.
gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...
The whole thing is deeply unpleasant.
gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...
The Jason Arday Saga Is Terrible And Everyone Involved Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves
The whole thing makes me furious
gidmk.substack.com
August 17, 2026 at 7:58 AM
The Jason Arday saga made me furious and sad in equal measure so I wrote about it.
The whole thing is deeply unpleasant.
gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...
The whole thing is deeply unpleasant.
gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
“How Trump’s anti-vax agenda is infecting Australia” my interview on 7am podcast 7ampodcast.com.au/episodes/how...
How Trump’s anti-vax agenda is infecting Australia
Last week Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines, sprouting links to autism – which have been definitively disproved by scientists and health organisations around ...
7ampodcast.com.au
August 17, 2026 at 10:24 PM
“How Trump’s anti-vax agenda is infecting Australia” my interview on 7am podcast 7ampodcast.com.au/episodes/how...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
“Adrenochrome! Adrenochrome for sale! Freshly harvested!” said Rowan Denton
Bay Area Children Set Up Adrenochrome Stand On Side Of Road
ATHERTON, CA—With a hand-painted sign taped to the front of their fold-up card table, local Bay Area children Rowan and Amanda Denton reportedly opened an adrenochrome stand Wednesday along a busy sub...
theonion.com
August 5, 2026 at 11:00 PM
“Adrenochrome! Adrenochrome for sale! Freshly harvested!” said Rowan Denton
"In the face of a clear and present danger to press freedom and Australian democracy, two of the most important newspapers in the country cannot find it in themselves to call One Nation’s behaviour what it is: tyrannical."
Media and political complacency is letting Pauline Hanson re-write the rules on accountability
The media have the power to make Hanson’s tyrannical attitudes and behaviour a central issue, and their failure to use this power has only emboldened her.
theconversation.com
August 5, 2026 at 12:05 AM
"In the face of a clear and present danger to press freedom and Australian democracy, two of the most important newspapers in the country cannot find it in themselves to call One Nation’s behaviour what it is: tyrannical."
some quotes from @snurb.info and me in this solid article as to why we're once again talking about 15-minute cities as a #conspiracytheory
One Nation's new Victorian leader promoted '15-minute city' conspiracy theory
One Nation's new Victorian leader promoted conspiracy
The new state One Nation leader warned of a debunked "globalist" plot to control Australians.
www.abc.net.au
August 4, 2026 at 11:24 PM
some quotes from @snurb.info and me in this solid article as to why we're once again talking about 15-minute cities as a #conspiracytheory
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
Why do people believe conspiracy theories? Research points to unmet needs for certainty, control, and belonging. My own research suggests that perceived victimhood is another key factor.
medium.com/@m.j.faccian...
medium.com/@m.j.faccian...
What Makes Someone Believe a Conspiracy Theory?
A massive new meta-analysis concludes that certainty, security, and belonging play a major role, and my own research finds that perceived…
medium.com
July 28, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Why do people believe conspiracy theories? Research points to unmet needs for certainty, control, and belonging. My own research suggests that perceived victimhood is another key factor.
medium.com/@m.j.faccian...
medium.com/@m.j.faccian...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
US Foreign Policy is in safe hands.
Trump on Venezuela: For a long time, I've known their country, and I own the Miss Universe pageant and Ms. Venezuela always did very well in that pageant so I know something about the country
July 25, 2026 at 2:56 AM
US Foreign Policy is in safe hands.
How long before this garbage take from the CDC poisons AI models?
CDC has updated its vaccine safety pages.
Now says: "The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism."
Whoa
#EpiSky #pediatrics #NeuroSky #PsychSky
Now says: "The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism."
Whoa
#EpiSky #pediatrics #NeuroSky #PsychSky
Autism and Vaccines
Answers to common questions about vaccine safety and autism.
www.cdc.gov
July 24, 2026 at 2:40 AM
How long before this garbage take from the CDC poisons AI models?
Dr Gregory emphasised the dangers of putting any metallic device, like a phone, into a microwave, calling it "not a sensible idea".
Conspiracy theories about AusAlert test spreading online
From wrapping your phone in foil to secret phones, ABC NEWS Verify takes a look into some of these false claims and real concerns about AusAlert to try to answer a few questions.
www.abc.net.au
July 23, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Dr Gregory emphasised the dangers of putting any metallic device, like a phone, into a microwave, calling it "not a sensible idea".
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
RFK Jr. asked the National Institute of Health to dedicate $5 billion (!) to finding a link between vaccines and autism. "That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide."
Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy
Insider accounts reveal the scale of the health secretary's ambitions to curb childhood immunizations and unearth a link between vaccines and autism.
www.reuters.com
July 15, 2026 at 1:40 PM
RFK Jr. asked the National Institute of Health to dedicate $5 billion (!) to finding a link between vaccines and autism. "That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide."
This sense that “everyone is using it” goes a long way toward explaining AI’s rapid spread, even among students who are well aware of its shortcomings. Social-norms research consistently shows that people tend to match their behavior to what they think others are doing. So, once AI use feels normal…
AI and Critical Thinking
Generative AI is enabling students to avoid the friction of learning—the struggle to synthesize, organize, and articulate ideas that is central to the educational process.
www.aaup.org
July 14, 2026 at 1:13 AM
This sense that “everyone is using it” goes a long way toward explaining AI’s rapid spread, even among students who are well aware of its shortcomings. Social-norms research consistently shows that people tend to match their behavior to what they think others are doing. So, once AI use feels normal…
absolutely fascinating story about missing scientists and the 1977 show Alternative 3 (with music by Eno!)
h/t @srhastraea.bsky.social
h/t @srhastraea.bsky.social
The missing scientists at the centre of a UFO conspiracy
Are the disappearances or deaths of eleven US scientists really linked in a nefarious plot? Or just a conspiracy theory with roots in a bizarre broadcast that rocked Britain in the 1970s?
www.theguardian.com
July 10, 2026 at 9:05 AM
absolutely fascinating story about missing scientists and the 1977 show Alternative 3 (with music by Eno!)
h/t @srhastraea.bsky.social
h/t @srhastraea.bsky.social
“When it [landed], there was fire and there was noise and it flamed the whole way down. Everybody saw it,” she says.
The Elder explains it came from Bunjil, the creator often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle.
“He sent down a fire rock to frighten the s**t out of everyone and make them behave,”.
The Elder explains it came from Bunjil, the creator often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle.
“He sent down a fire rock to frighten the s**t out of everyone and make them behave,”.
Why one of our greatest scientific discoveries is in a UK gift shop
The fight to claim a 3.5-tonne space rock didn't just kickstart a publicity battle that divided an empire — it also left a gaping hole in culture. Centuries on, the question remains: Who owned it?
www.abc.net.au
July 10, 2026 at 2:43 AM
“When it [landed], there was fire and there was noise and it flamed the whole way down. Everybody saw it,” she says.
The Elder explains it came from Bunjil, the creator often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle.
“He sent down a fire rock to frighten the s**t out of everyone and make them behave,”.
The Elder explains it came from Bunjil, the creator often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle.
“He sent down a fire rock to frighten the s**t out of everyone and make them behave,”.
a clear and concise writeup from @drdanieljolley.bsky.social to the UK parliament on #conspiracytheories and how to spot them. also includes some evidence based approaches and limitations.
post.parliament.uk/conspiracy-t...
post.parliament.uk/conspiracy-t...
Conspiracy theories: What they are and how to spot them
Conspiracy theories can have social and political consequences, but why do people believe them and what conversational techniques work to address them?
post.parliament.uk
July 9, 2026 at 4:55 AM
a clear and concise writeup from @drdanieljolley.bsky.social to the UK parliament on #conspiracytheories and how to spot them. also includes some evidence based approaches and limitations.
post.parliament.uk/conspiracy-t...
post.parliament.uk/conspiracy-t...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
Humor’s secret sauce: Coherent incongruency.
🧵1/4
New research with @drew-gorenz.bsky.social
#SocialPsych #CogSci #Humor
J Exp Soc Psych; no paywall until Aug 27
authors.elsevier.com/a/1nOzR51f8%...
🧵1/4
New research with @drew-gorenz.bsky.social
#SocialPsych #CogSci #Humor
J Exp Soc Psych; no paywall until Aug 27
authors.elsevier.com/a/1nOzR51f8%...
July 8, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Humor’s secret sauce: Coherent incongruency.
🧵1/4
New research with @drew-gorenz.bsky.social
#SocialPsych #CogSci #Humor
J Exp Soc Psych; no paywall until Aug 27
authors.elsevier.com/a/1nOzR51f8%...
🧵1/4
New research with @drew-gorenz.bsky.social
#SocialPsych #CogSci #Humor
J Exp Soc Psych; no paywall until Aug 27
authors.elsevier.com/a/1nOzR51f8%...
Reposted by mat marques, ph.d.
New paper out in Global Environmental Change. Across 106 countries, where institutions are stronger, people hold businesses more responsible for cutting emissions. They look to government where institutions are very weak or strong, and to individuals where these are moderate. doi.org/10.1016/j.gl...
July 1, 2026 at 5:13 AM
New paper out in Global Environmental Change. Across 106 countries, where institutions are stronger, people hold businesses more responsible for cutting emissions. They look to government where institutions are very weak or strong, and to individuals where these are moderate. doi.org/10.1016/j.gl...
flashbacks to the time I suggested to the family, oh hey let's go climb a tree, then realised I didn't really enjoy heights about 10m up while our daughter was speeding up ahead
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
Iconic Gloucester Tree reopens after three-year closure
Tourism operators are celebrating the reopening of the southern WA landmark, the Gloucester Tree, with visitors making the 37-metre climb to its peak for the first time since its closure three years a...
www.abc.net.au
June 30, 2026 at 11:16 PM
flashbacks to the time I suggested to the family, oh hey let's go climb a tree, then realised I didn't really enjoy heights about 10m up while our daughter was speeding up ahead
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
add it to the list of the tsunami of misinformation and AI slop that illustrates why piecemeal interventions at the user end fail to address the volume, velocity, and veracity of content coming out of social media companies
June 22, 2026 at 11:49 PM
add it to the list of the tsunami of misinformation and AI slop that illustrates why piecemeal interventions at the user end fail to address the volume, velocity, and veracity of content coming out of social media companies
