Here we are in front of our conspiracy theory poster, with Christina on the left and Doug and I on the right!
Author: Christine Honn | Major: Psychology | Semester: Spring 2022
My name is Christine Honn and I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences here at the University of Arkansas. I am currently a research assistant in the WordPlay Lab, and Dr. Douglas Behrend is serving as my honors thesis advisor. We are in the process of running several different studies, but I am the head research assistant for our study about conspiracy theories, which examines whether children are born conspiracy theorists, or whether we as adults are a source that contributes to children becoming conspiracy theorists as they develop. In our current study, children ages 5-10 have several vignettes read to them and are asked whether they believe an implausible explanation is correct, as well as how sure they are of their answer. Right now, we are still in the process of collecting data, so the poster I presented shows our justifications for how the current study is set up, as well as future directions we might go in the future based on the current literature about adult conspiracy theorists.
I went to Madison, WI to attend the Cognitive Development Society’s Bi-Ennial Conference 2022. I was able to present our work on children and conspiracy theories at one of the pre-conference sessions via a poster format. That was very beneficial because it gave me an opportunity to talk with others in the field who are also interested in topics like this. I learned that having another person who has not been following the trajectory of how your lab made decisions is advantageous, because they bring a new point of view to the topic and can often point out or suggest something no one in the lab has considered before.
One of the most helpful parts of this trip was getting feedback from researchers from other colleges. For example, one researcher suggested we add additional evidence to the vignettes in order to make them more sensationalistic, which is a common trait of conspiracy theories. Because this conference was on the smaller end, there were many opportunities to network, and I met several people through Doug who I think would be helpful to bounce ideas off of in the future. It was also nice to meet graduate students who have continued their work in the developmental psychology field, since I’m still an undergraduate. Additionally, there were dozens of speakers who presented their research in a PowerPoint format rather than a poster format, so I was able to take lots of notes about research that could help inform future studies I work on here at the University of Arkansas.
This trip was very valuable because many researchers and students who attended the conference were interested in things that are similar and/or related to conspiracy theories, such as myths, children’s trust in experts, and the concept of intellectual humility. In fact, on the first day of the Bi-Ennial Conference I attended a pre-conference workshop specifically focused on intellectual humility. People high in intellectual humility are able to recognize that an expert knows information that they don’t. In the future, we as a lab would love to examine to what extent this construct is present in children, and at what ages. We feel that intellectual humility could be closely linked to conspiratorial beliefs, as conspiracy theorists feel that they know information the general public does not, rather than being high in intellectual humility.
If I could give one piece of advice to share with a student who is considering attending this conference, it would be: don’t be afraid to ask questions! Everyone who attended this conference was very excited about sharing what they have learned through their research. There are multiple poster sessions where you are expected to meander up and down rows and rows of posters, stopping along the way to ask questions about topics that pique your research interests. Most researchers have spent so much time developing and carrying out their studies, as well as analyzing the results, that even just saying “Can you tell me more about what exactly you did?” will give you an opportunity to learn a valuable amount about their work and also give you an opportunity to gain a new connection, as well as possibly even give you ideas about what you can do going forward! Also, if you’re able to, you should also make an effort to enjoy the city you’re in. Eating cheese curds four times in three days, exploring downtown Madison, and going to the Dane County Farmers’ Market were some of the (non-research related) highlights of my time in Madison!
Right now, I am a junior, and I will continue to be a part of the WordPlay Lab through my senior year. I am hoping that the concept of intellectual humility will be a part of our research in the near future, as I think it could be a particularly good honors thesis topic! I am so grateful to Doug and his graduate student Christina Barnes, who insisted that I should attend the Cognitive Development Society’s Bi-Ennial Conference with them because it would be not only informative but also fun!