How Social Information Shapes Belief: Applications in Evidence Interpretations and High-Stakes Decision-Making

Abstract:

In this talk I will present experimental research on how people form and maintain beliefs in response to social information. Drawing on experimental studies, I examine how cues such as perceived consensus and repetition shape judgments about claims and evidence. My findings show that beliefs are strongly influenced by what people think others believe, even when those impressions are indirect or misleading. Understanding how social information shapes belief is critical for interpreting evidence and communication in high‑stakes decision‑making environments.

Guest Speaker Bio: 

Dr Saoirse Connor Desai is a Lecturer in Psychology in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research uses online experimental methods to examine how people form and maintain beliefs from social information. Her work focuses on the role of cues such as consensus, repetition, and related forms of social influence in shaping judgments about claims and evidence. She has published extensively on belief persistence and social information effects, with a broader interest in how beliefs are shaped in uncertain and information‑rich environments.