Sriraj Aiyer is a PhD student at the University of Oxford. His current research looks at confidence and information seeking in medical decision making and how expertise is formed. He previously worked as a research assistant looking at individual differences in propensities to trust. In his free time, Sriraj enjoys board games and playing the drums. 

Project description:

Conspiratorial thinking and misinformation has seen a meteoric rise in recent years. Individuals with beliefs in misinformation can show intense reticence to change their mind, even when presented with overwhelming disconfirmatory evidence. This deviates from a rational agent who would consider update beliefs based on incoming evidence. Past research has not delved into what kind of evidence is most likely to change the mind of those who have already accepted misinformation as genuine. In this project, we look at whether changes of mind are most likely when debunking appeals to logic, emotionality, or credibility when seeking to change beliefs in misinformation.

If you feel like Srirarj’s project is the one for you, you can apply to join his team at jSchool 2023! To get more information on how to apply, the deadlines and more, visit this page.