FLETCHER SCOTT

Thesis Title
Thesis: Source beliefs and statement-updating as a function of implicit-explicit discrepancies

Research Description

Fletcher’s research focuses on how variability in partisanship influences biased information processing, particularly focusing on motivated reasoning—where individuals process information in a way that confirms their existing beliefs.

His research explores whether this variability can be accounted for by implicit measures that capture how source cues affect the ease of processing and subsequently influence different processing strategies for various statement types. This research is pertinent as it addresses how partisan biases can affect information processing and retrieval, similar to how query formulation and result interpretation can be influenced by personal beliefs and contextual factors in search systems.

By examining the role of source cues and processing strategies, this project contributes to understanding how biases in information processing manifest and vary, which is crucial for developing more effective search engines and interventions. This work provides insights with the use of psychometrics, into how individual differences in processing can impact the effectiveness of automated systems and the spread of misinformation.

Supervisors
Dr Damiano Spina, RMIT University
Dr Lauren Saling, RMIT University