Advice and Influence

The paradox of disclosure: shifting policies from revealing to resolving conflicts of interest

Journal Publication /

This paper explores the complexities and unintended consequences of conflict of interest (COI) disclosures in various professional settings. It highlights key psychological processes encountered by recipients of such disclosures. Notably, it describes the burden of disclosure effect, which paradoxically reduces trust while increasing compliance due to social pressures, and disclosure’s expertise cue, where disclosures inadvertently increase trust and […]

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Mental health: pressure to return to the office could be making employees more anxious

Popular Press /

Many employers are eager for staff to return to the office after a year of social distancing, mask wearing, and working from home. However, a recent survey of 4,553 office workers in five different countries, found that every single person reported feeling anxious about resuming in-person work. The top causes of return-to-work stress included being

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Conflict of interest disclosure with high quality advice: The disclosure penalty and the altruistic signal.

Journal Publication /

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

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Conflict of interest disclosure as a reminder of professional norms. Clients First!

Journal Publication /

Abstract Conflicts of interest create an incentive for advisors to give biased advice, and disclosure is a popular remedy. Across a series of studies, with monetary stakes creating conflicts of interest, I show that disclosure of the conflict of interest can increase as well as decrease bias in advice. The effect of disclosure depends on

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Insinuation Anxiety: Concern That Advice Rejection Will Signal Distrust After Conflict of Interest Disclosures

Journal Publication /

Abstract When expert advisors have conflicts of interest, disclosure is a common regulatory response. In four experiments (three scenario experiments involving medical contexts, and one field experiment involving financial consequences for both parties), we show that disclosure of a financial or nonfinancial conflict of interest can have a perverse effect on the advisor–advisee relationship. Disclosure,

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Conflicts of interest and disclosure

Report /

The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry was established on 14 December 2017 by the former Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) to enquire into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry. I was asked by the Royal Commission to respond to the following questions: How

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Effect of physician disclosure of specialty bias on patient trust and treatment choice.

Journal Publication /

Abstract This paper explores the impact of disclosures of bias on advisees. Disclosure—informing advisees of a potential bias—is a popular solution for managing conflicts of interest. Prior research has focused almost exclusively on disclosures of financial conflicts of interest but little is known about how disclosures of other types of biases could impact advisees. In

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Conflicted advice and second opinions: Benefits, but unintended consequences.

Journal Publication /

Abstract Second opinions have been advocated as an antidote to bias in advice when primary advisors have conflicts of interest. In four experiments, we demonstrate how primary advisors alter their advice due to knowledge of the presence of a second advisor. We show that advisors give more biased advice and adopt a profit-maximizing frame when

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