Concerns continue to mount over the increasing public skepticism, apathy, and even hostility to the most promising solutions to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic: vaccines. In this Forbes article, I examine some reasons for hesitancy in groups beyond the usual anti-vaxxers.
Movies and TV shows depict dazzling uses of forensic sciences in the courts, but reality itself falls far behind and countless miscarriages of justice are the result of bad science. I make the case in this Forbes article for the new administration to re-establish the National Commission of Forensic Science, or another independent entity committed to …
The Biden Administration Must Put The Science Back Into Forensic Science Read More »
Loyalty is often seen as a trait that prompts us to be better people, however in certain circumstances loyalty can have the opposite effect and increase unethical behavior. In this Forbes article I discuss research by some of my colleagues into these effects and how the unfortunate events of January 6, 2021 illustrated this dark side …
Storming of the U.S. Capitol: How Blind Loyalty Fuels The Unthinkable Read More »
Misinformation regarding health matters is not new, but social media has certainly exacerbated the problem. In this Forbes article I suggest some simple strategies to follow to ensure we can effectively immunized ourselves against misinformation.
Stepping out of 2020 and into 2021, I wrote this Forbes article to reflect on a year that for many of us saw our lives mutated into socially distanced shadows of what were before, and how finding some meaning in that experience can equip us with a clearer sense of self and purpose for the …
Make Space for Reflection and Self-Connection in 2021 Read More »
Financial incentives can be a factor in pandemic policy decisions—albeit frequently at a subconscious and unintentional level. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders face difficult decisions that involve trade-offs between economic outcomes and public safety. These conflicts of interest can impact decisions related to closures, quarantines, lockdowns, social distancing, and mask-wearing. However, many decision-makers claim that …
Abstarct Governments around the world have implemented measures to manage the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While the majority of these measures are proving effective, they have a high social and economic cost, and response strategies are being adjusted. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that communities should have a voice, be informed and …
Ten considerations for effectively managing the COVID-19 transition Read More »
We explore the common attributes of political conflicts in which scientific findings have a central role, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, but also drawing on long-standing conflicts over climate change and vaccinations. We analyze situations in which the systematic spread of disinformation or conspiracy theories undermines public trust in the work of …
Abstract Advisors often have conflicts of interest: a potential clash between professional responsibilities and self-interests. Disclosure—informing advisees of the conflict—is a common policy response to manage such conflicts. However, extant research on disclosure has often confounded disclosure with poor-quality advice. In this article, we explore whether laws requiring conflict of interest disclosure damage the advisor–advisee …
Marketers have a choice of what to tell consumers and consumers must consider what they are told or not told. Across 6 experiments, we show that consumers fail to differentiate between deliberate and nondeliberate missing information (strategic naiveté) and make generous inferences when they do notice missing information is deliberately withheld (charitability). We also show …