Forum
What is DR@W Forum?
DR@W Forum is an interdisciplinary discussion series which focuses on theoretical and empirical research about decision making.
The usual structure of the forum is a 30 - 45 minute introduction of the topic/working paper, with ample additional time for discussion.
The audience prefers discussing work-in-progress topics as opposed to finished papers. We meet on Thursdays between 2:30 and 3:45pm during term time, with streaming via Zoom. Contact John Taylor (John.Taylor[at]wbs.ac.uk) if you would like to suggest a speaker for a future event. Notifications of upcoming DR@W Forum events along with other decision research related activities can be obtained by registering with the moderated Behaviour Spotlight email listLink opens in a new window.
Note that several talks during the 2024/25 academic year are being hosted and organised by the Economics department. This is indicated in the calendar entries. These talks will all take place in the Social Studies building. If you require further details regarding these sessions, please contact Matthew Ridley (Matthew.Ridley[at]Warwick.ac.uk) in the Economics department.
DR@W Forum: Thomas Hills (Warwick, Psychology)
Human beliefs follow complex flows. Our beliefs influence our social communities and these in turn influence what we believe next. Are these flows predictable and can we identify them? In this talk I describe a network and complex systems approach to identifying gateway beliefs among conspiracy theorists. This work is based on a data set from 1000 people in the US self-reporting on 39 conspiracies. I develop a distinctive belief framework to more strongly connect individuals with more discriminating beliefs, and produce models of belief change that make empirical predictions about what beliefs change most and which beliefs make people most susceptible to change. This is a general framework that produces compelling representations of flocking ideas.