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CORY JANE CLARK

Behavioral Scientist

Any views expressed on this website are my own.

EDUCATION

Home: Education

PHD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

Social and Personality Psychology; Quantitative Methods

2008 - 2014

BA, OHIO UNIVERSITY

Psychology; Philosophy

2005-2008

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Social Cognition, Judgment & Decision Making, Bias, Conflict, Metascience

I am a behavioral scientist interested in how social motivations influence human judgment and empirical beliefs. Human cognition evolved to help us avoid ostracism and gain social status (among other things). We thus reason in ways that help us persuade others of our moral righteousness and of our value and commitment to our social groups. Although humans care about truth and accuracy, human cognition is also biased toward achieving these social goals.

Lately, I am especially interested in motivated cognition in evaluations of science and among scientists. I have found that scientists who believe that unpopular conclusions are empirically true are particularly likely to self-censor their beliefs and particularly scared of peer ostracism and punishment. This suggests that professional discourse (and perceived scientific consensus) surrounding controversial conclusions is systematically biased toward the rejection of socially undesirable empirical conclusions.

I am also interested in the moralization and politicization of epistemic institutions and other types of organizations. My recent work finds that moral and sociopolitical concerns are associated with the suppression of scientific research. These tendencies are likely contributing to reduced trust in science. In two recent papers, I find that perceived politicization and organizational political action undermine trust in organizations and institutions--and across almost the entire ideological spectrum.

On the more applied side, I am interested in finding ways of de-biasing science and scientists and expediting the truth discovery process. Over the past three years, I (along with Professor Philip Tetlock) have been participating in and advocating for adversarial collaborations, a methodological procedure in which disagreeing scholars mutually design research procedures to test their competing hypotheses. This process can facilitate more rigorous science because both proponents and opponents must agree to fair and unbiased tests. Learn more about our initiative here.

You can read most of my publications here.

Home: Personal Statement
Home: Publications

SELECTED PAPERS

ABOUT CORY J CLARK

I grew up in Bath, Ohio, childhood hometown of serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and sometimes home of the GOAT, LeBron James.

A contrarian and skeptic since childhood, at age 7, I disproved the existence of Santa Claus. Peering out my window late one Christmas Eve, I noticed my Aunt and Uncle (and also neighbors) rolling a mini trampoline down their stairs to their Christmas Tree. I realized I could seize this opportunity for discovery. The next day, I asked my cousin whether Santa or her parents gave her the trampoline. She said Santa. Case closed. Only months later I inquired of my Monday night religion teacher, "If there were only two ants on Noah's Arc, what did the anteaters eat?" She provided no satisfactory answer.

 

Up until college, my long-term plan was to be a backup dancer for Snoop Dogg.  Snoop Dogg had to cancel his concert due to bad weather (typical Ohio hazard), and so I was forced to make other plans.

Once in college, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to be an astronaut (physics major), Bertrand Russell (philosophy major), or a person who runs experiments on humans (psychology major).  After I calculated my slim odds of being the first person to discover extraterrestrial life and my mom vetoed philosophy, I landed on psychology.

Since then, I received my PhD from University of California, Irvine, and worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar at University at Buffalo and Florida State University, an Assistant Professor at Durham University in the United Kingdom, and the Director of Academic Engagement for Heterodox Academy. Now, I am the Director of the Adversarial Collaboration Project and a Visiting Scholar in The Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences at University of Pennsylvania.

My hobbies include phojography (taking pictures while jogging), phodography (taking pictures of my dog), solo travel to beautiful or weird places, and planning for my future beet farm/live music venue/goat sanctuary, to be called Beets, Beats, & Bleats.

Follow me on Twitter @ImHardcory.

Note. My chin is not surgically enhanced. That really is just the way it is.

Home: About

5 Forbidden Topics That Psychology Won't Discuss

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The Psychology of Victim Mentality & Cancel Culture

The Psychology of Victimhood

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Psychology in Politics

Interview on Demystifying Science

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Interview on The Armen Show

Interview on Just Thinking Out Loud

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Interview on The Dissenter

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Interview on the Boyce of Reason

BBC SPECIAL ON WILLPOWER

What is willpower and can we improve it?

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Community discussion about political bias, race, media, and being and informed citizen.

NON-ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Home: Awards & Recognitions

MOTHER OF MOST WELL-BEHAVED DOG EVER

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GENERAL ANESTHESIA
SUPERMODEL

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OHIO UNIVERSITY
CHEERLEADER

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CORY-OGRAPHER OF STATE CHAMP CHEER ROUTINE

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RUNNER OF 26.2 CONSECUTIVE MILES

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HAWAII'S WHITE WHALE

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KAYAK WINNER ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT

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FORMER NATIONAL CHAMPION JUMP ROPER

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EXERCISE VIDEO STAR

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TWO-TIME SKYDIVER

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SEASONED FLIPPER

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VERY AMATEUR DRUMMER (IN PROGRESS)

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