Nick Byrd, Ph.D.

28 Aug

💊 If antibiotic courses are longer (and thus risker) than necessary, whose supposed to shorten them? 🏥 I argue it's not just doctors. Why? Because prescription of #antibiotics is influenced by events that occur both before and after doctor visits. 📄 Amer. J. of #Bioethics: doi.org/10.1080/1526...

Obviously there are limits to how much we can disagree about facts, but what about values? "This article [will] show that there are liberal principles of political morality that no citizen can reasonably reject." Philosopher clickbait or sound argument? doi.org/10.1215/0031...

Philosophers often imply we share their intuitions ("This clearly shows…"). That "bracketing language" nudged more people toward whichever intuition it framed as correct, even if framed as the *opposite* of a thought experiment's original presentation! doi.org/10.1007/s112...

🚨 Free book alert! "Intentionally Infecting Humans: Is it Ethical?" (Oxford) "controlled human #infection ...has brought scientific breakthroughs [but] remains controversial [due to] a lack of understanding of this #research." 🔓 doi.org/10.1093/9780... #ethics #science #edu

I had a great time discussing the dilemmas we face in life, #medicine, and research with the #Philosophy Department at University of Nevada Las Vegas! Great things happening there, including a new #MedicalEthics course! www.unlv.edu/event/your-h... #health #ethics #bioethics #xPhi #morality #edu

nytimes.comWill A.I. Make Your Brain Lazy? Here’s What the New Research Actually Shows.We’re starting to learn more about how the technology can change us.

AI doesn’t make people lazy. Laziness makes people lazy. #AI is a tool. Like all tools, its utility depends on (a) your goals and (b) how well you use it to achieve those goals. You can use AI Socratically, lazily, etc. Goals determine which use is apt.

Concerns about ubiquitous recording are not new. Decades before “smart” devices or traffic cameras were ambiently recording us, we let other digital systems have our sensitive information. We recall 3 not-yet-surmounted issues with deploying this #tech: doi.org/10.1080/1526...

Nick Byrd, Ph.D. reposted

Zoe Purcell 🕵🏻‍♀️

@zoepurcell.bsky.social

22 Sept

Why are people so bad at spotting fallacies in climate (mis)information? And what can we do about it? @bencebago.bsky.social and I found a big role of prior beliefs, evidence against identity-protective reasoning, and a neat way to improve climate argumentation. rdcu.be/8X6KVTwk5pTa

22 Sept

I'm pumped to see others beat me to a re-analysis of our earliest think-aloud datasets. Long live #openScience and #processTracing! We're also developing AI-mediated, human-validated approaches to public decision transcripts, albeit with slightly different research questions. Promising methods! 🧵

Jérémie Beucler@jeremiebeucler.bsky.social

4/15 We reanalyzed vCRT think-aloud data from Byrd et al. (2023, J. Intell.). We transcribed audio using a speech-to-text model, and used LLMs to segment and score reasoning chunks. We validated the scores against human ratings before modeling their dynamics using generalized additive mixed models.

22 Sept

The new #AI analyses of our #openData may also affirm some predictions of #BoundedReflectivism (doi.org/10.1111/meta...) and #StrategicReflectivism (doi.org/10.48550/arX... ): Could low #confidence (or "feeling of rightness") trigger reflection? Seems like it could!👇 bsky.app/profile/jere...

Jérémie Beucler@jeremiebeucler.bsky.social

12/15 Lower confidence indeed predicted more generation, justification and control at the next segment. In the reverse deliberation-to-confidence direction, only regulation reliably predicted higher subsequent confidence, consistent with the proposed feedback loop.

21 Sept

Has ego depletion research been resurrected as “cognitive depletion”? “Study 2 [shows that] glucose levels, can modulate deliberative thinking…” doi.org/10.1080/0144... I have a memory of papers arguing that drinking glucose can’t directly change brain glucose. Is that false?

19 Sept

We're sharing a new #MetaAnalysis at #CornellUniversity to the International Society for #MoralPsychology. I posted about our presentation on LinkedIn, and I hope to add comments about other presentations: www.linkedin.com/fee... #ethics #cogSci #xPhi #bioethics #psychology

15 Sept

After the #emdashification of #AI-generated text, I started noticing #LLMs hyphenating terms that I would not have hyphenated: cognitive-science graphic-design public-health Do you (humans) usually hyphenate these? If so, why? Why might #languageModels use such hyphenation?

doi.orgThinking differently: neurodivergent traits and responses to thought experiments in philosophers and the general populationPhilosophers have long speculated that individual differences in temperament influence philosophical thinking, yet empirical research has rarely explored the role of neurodivergent traits in this d...

14 Sept

If you had to guess whether someone’s a philosopher, what’d be more predictive? Their decisions about thought experiments? Or their scores on assessments of neurodivergent traits? In more than 1000 people, the measures of #autistic (and other traits) were more predictive:

Nick Byrd, Ph.D. reposted

Experimental Philosophy

@xphilosopher.bsky.social

12 Sept

Replying to @xphilosopher.bsky.social

In some existing work, participants are explicitly asked whether their views have some hallmark properties of belief psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Participants sometimes openly acknowledge that they don't – which makes this seem like a workable strategy

psycnet.apa.orgAPA PsycNet

1 Sept

🏝️I'm beachside in #Cyprus presenting #research about how #AI chats, #visualAids, and other scalable communication tools can improve #health and reduce #drugResistance or #AMR. I'll post below about the other #EHPS2026 sessions I catch. Kudos to the @ehps.bsky.social for allowing remote presenters!

What else predicts #antibiotic use? Iga Palacz-Poborczyk (from above) also presented a poster about data from Poland. Age, education, income, but not gender predicted variance in use of #antibiotics.   Oh, and faulty beliefs or expectations. Iga's also on RG: www.researchgate.net/profile/Iga-...

8 Sept

And, finally, why are footprint symbols on some floors? Do they #nudge people to take the #stairs more often? A powerful experiment didn’t detect that — even when #footprints contained an environmental or #health message! You can follow Dr. Radtke's lab on RG: www.researchgate.net/lab/Health-P...

If disagreement improves, say, #socialCohesion or #openMindedness, how can we help people engage in it?   An experiment found planning may help.   But self-reported #intellectuallyHumility predicted being *less* likely to change minds? Follow Dr. Scholz on RG: www.researchgate.net/profile/Chri...

8 Sept

If #AI can enhance diagnostic accuracy, why might some physicians not adopt it? Dr. Kritz et al. found what you might expect, such as #health systems that block #LLMs, insufficient training, and being more than 50 years old. 📃 doi.org/10.2196/80274 👤 www.researchgate.net/profile/Marl...

*AND* rapid testing… (Not being able to correct my typos is one of many reasons I often regret threading on this website.) More posts from EHPS in the pipeline!

8 Sept

How can we help people understand #risk?   Some evidence favors #iconArrays (that visualize outcome frequencies) But what if we added a patient narrative to those #graphics?   A small experiment found #narratives actually *worsened* factual recall! Follow via www.researchgate.net/profile/Made...

Ever feel familiar with or concerned about stuff you don’t understand? Most respondents were (rightly) worried overuse of #antibiotics makes them less effective. But many thought #AMR was a #health condition (not a bacterial trait). Follow Dr. Palacz-Poborczyk at www.linkedin.com/in/iga-palac...

7 Sept

One reason #antibiotics are overused is "diagnostic uncertainty". An #rapidTesting can quickly increase certainty. So @isilcoklar.bsky.social et al. have been talking to clinicians and patients to find ways to increase use of point-of-care, C-Reactive Protein #diagnostics More: lnkd.in/p/e5uV4Yg5

We're often not as #healthy as we feel (and vice versa).   And that asymmetry predicts various #health outcomes. But does it predict #healthcare USE? "Feeling healthier than you are" predicted shorter #hospital stays (but not hospitalization). 🔓Calvey & Laurence: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

7 Sept

Do people think inherited = untreatable? When asked what one's main concern would be if their #genetics predisposed them to a #health condition, 25% said it would be that they “can’t do anything about it”.   Bianca Cucos et al. think personalized risk messaging could help. doi.org/10.1093/eurj...

Should #AI still be benchmarked against humans? Alex Gillespie’s #EHPS2026 keynote shared years of #research making sense of patient complaints with #LLMs. One upshot: models often reveal what humans *miss* — not all human #alignment is good! Follow on gScholar: scholar.google.com/citations?hl...

7 Sept

Should #health #psychology researchers embrace #LargeLanguageModels for #qualitativeAnalysis? The EQUAL folks organized a debate at #EHPS2026 to review evidence, arguments, objections, etc. for/against both sides.  👏🤓 (The pro-#AI position lost ground, but sustained the majority.) ehps.net/equal/

Can #eyeTracking advance #HealthPsychology? Dr. Athina Manoli shared an experiment suggesting that it can! My smartphone has issues that prevented me from capturing key slides, but you can follow Dr. Manoli on ResearchGate to be alerted when this is published: www.researchgate.net/profile/Athi...

4 Sept

What is the #healthy = #sustainable heuristic? Article: doi.org/10.1111/aphw... 🔓 At #EHPS2026, @katharinaeichin.bsky.social shared an(other?) experiment where people inferred foods' eco-friendliness from its #NutriScore — less so #EcoScore to healthiness. Preprint: doi.org/10.23668/psy... 🔓

What if #AI starts the analysis and humans review? Paulina Bondaronek shared 1) Machine Assisted Topic Analysis (MATA): doi.org/10.64898/202... 2) GRACE evaluation framework: doi.org/10.2196/prep... Dr. Bondaronek seemed unimpressed. Does the #preprints formally compare human and machine outputs?

4 Sept

*Correction: DO the preprints...? (Apologies for other typos I've missed.) Onward!

Then we had a keynote about the history and future directions of #mHealth from from @profjanewalsh.bsky.social. Promising results #remoteMeasurement in remote areas. But not all interventions are panaceas! A "digital clinician" that seemed more knowledgable was also less satisfying or trustworthy?

4 Sept

How can underutilized tools advance #HealthPsychology? For example, can #AI enhance theory-driven #interview coding? Sumit Mehra et al's attempt found that when #LLM codes deviated from humans' they were usually MEANINGFUL or even ADDITIVE! And most remaining AI codes were identical to humans'!

Poolside coffee + fruit breaks are the way! Thanks for choosing this venue for #EHPS2026, @ehpsconference.bsky.social!

What about #measurement problems? A handout, presentation, debate, and discussion gave us lots to think about re: #Wicked Problems with #psychology scales Thx T. Cornelius, @matherion.mastodon.nl.ap.brid.gy, @mayabraun.bsky.social, @paulinaganucheau.bsky.social, schenk.bsky.social, and M. Johnston

The US CDC changed its website's claims about #Autism and #Vaccines on November 19 2025. A high-powered experiment found the change caused differences in the perceived #risk and uncertainty about vaccination, trust in CDC, and reliance on #logicalFallacies (but not vaccination intention). 👇 Thread

Robert Böhm@robertboehm.bsky.social

🚨 New in @science.org: CDC communication undermines trust in vaccines Link to the publication: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... I’m excited to share this paper, which I wrote together with @schneali.bsky.social, @corneliabetsch.bsky.social & @laulilleholt.bsky.social (1/5)

Maybe it's unsurprising that #trust in institutions like the #CDC is decreasing in the #USA, but what about other countries? Well @gerrymolloy.bsky.social and colleagues found a similar trend in #Ireland (Figure 1 via Kevin below) and #Canada. #publicHealth #Science #medSky #SciComm #EHPS2026 #edu

Kevin Roche@kevinroche.bsky.social

@gerrymolloy.bsky.social presenting trends public trust in the providers of health information #EHPS2026

David Haag et al found #AI generated behavior change techniques were rated better than those from #healthcare professionals (doi.org/10.1145/3706...). So will such #LLMs perform even better if they generate THEORY-concordant recommendations? A small experiment didn't detect an advantage of theory.

How can we help people take opportunities for #exercise "snacks"? Enter the "Active Waiting" app: activewaiting.at Now, what if the app gave users #AI tailored recommendations based on a photo of their environment? Faith Young reported that this helped in certain cases — and experts preferred it!

Then @miroslavsirota.bsky.social shared cross-cultural "terminology effects" on correct answering to questions about #antibiotics. "Infection" was more potent than "Resistance". "drug-" or "antibiotic-resistant INFECTIONS" often caused more benefit than "anti-microbial/biotic RESISTANCE" #MedEd

And @robertboehm.bsky.social closed with reflections on - the multi-factorial, multi-party nature of health problems like #antibiotic resistance. - a growing need for our #research to refine policies, practices, and norms. Interested? Join @abc-network.bsky.social: www.a-bc.network/involved.html

Back to our session on #Health #Communication and #AntibioticStewardship: First, @schneali.bsky.social shared results from a new #openAccess paper. 🫣 When providers could *choose* to ignore diagnostically relevant info, many did...and also prescribed more #antibiotics? WILLFUL ignorance? 👇Thread

Alina Schneider@schneali.bsky.social

🚨 New in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social: Willful ignorance in the context of antibiotic prescribing New paper together with @miroslavsirota.bsky.social, @riangross.bsky.social, Lars Korn, @elisie.bsky.social, @corneliabetsch.bsky.social, and @robertboehm.bsky.social! Link: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

docs.google.comEHPS Open Science SIG Student Award 2025Full application details available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tq0y2ZFRaJVh-BgNFcxX23dQMPcWCc5oNfz-Vxv-aGc/edit?usp=sharing [docs.google.com] Award eligibility: - Current students of any q...

2 Sept

What else drives overprescription of #antibiotics? @kevinroche.bsky.social asked Irish GPs. As in many nations, the doctors blamed time pressure, patient expectations, and diagnostic uncertainty. But they also proposed a few solutions! You can follow Kevin at www.researchgate.net/profile/Kevi...

What predicts being more or less intent to seek lung #cancer screening? Andriana Theodoropoulou (below) shared insights about eligible adults with #EHPS2026 from a new paper: doi.org/10.1093/abm/... 🔓 💬 In addition to standard #surveyMethods, they coded thought lists to enable multiple regression.

EHPS Open Science SIG@ehpsopenscisig.bsky.social

Check out the research journey of our EHPS Open Science SIG Student Award 2023 winner, Andriana Theodoropoulou, and how Open Science played a key role in her work. You can still apply for our 2025 Student Award and win a €500 bursary! Apply here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

2 Sept

What about colorectal #cancer screening? Dr. Marcella Bianchi shared results from #Campania, which has outstandingly low #adherence. At least three psychological profiles emerged from non-adherers (photo 2). Follow Dr. Bianchi and the broader #MIRIADE project: www.researchgate.net/publication/...