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Contact details +6492136117
Dr Matt Williams PhD, MA, GDipArts, BBS
Senior Lecturer in Psychology: Research Methods and Methodology
Doctoral Supervisor School of PsychologyMy research is focused on two main topics:
- Metapsychology and methodology. In particular, I investigate the assumptions underlying statistical analyses, and how we can improve the transparency and replicability of research in psychology.
- Misinformation. In particular, I investigate what the public believes about climate change (and why), and the causes of belief in conspiracy theories.
Professional
Contact details
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Ph: +64 9 414 0800 x43117
Location: 3.23, School of Psychology
Campus: Auckland
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy - Massey University (2016)
- Master of Arts - Massey University (2010)
- Graduate Diploma in Arts - Massey University (2007)
- Bachelor of Business Studies - Massey University (2006)
Certifications and Registrations
- Licence, Supervisor, Massey University
Prizes and Awards
- Massey University Vice-Chancellor's Doctoral Scholarship - Massey University (2010)
- Dean's Award for my PhD thesis. I.e., my PhD thesis, "How well do psychologists’ research methods equip them to contribute to climate change research? A methodological investigation with particular reference to the effects of temperature increase on violent behaviour", was placed on Massey University's Dean's List of Exceptional Theses for 2015. - Massey University (2015)
Research Expertise
Research Interests
- Psychology of climate change
- Beliefs in conspiracy theories
- Meta-psychology
Thematics
21st Century Citizenship, Resource Development and Management, Health and Well-being
Area of Expertise
Field of research codes
Applied Statistics (010401):
Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology (170106):
Mathematical Sciences (010000):
Personality, Abilities and Assessment (170109):
Psychological Methodology, Design and Analysis (170110):
Psychology (170100):
Psychology And Cognitive Sciences (170000):
Social and Community Psychology (170113):
Statistics (010400)
Keywords
Climate change, conspiracy theories, misinformation, statistics, metapsychology.
Research Projects
Summary of Research Projects
Position | Current | Completed |
---|---|---|
Project Leader | 4 | 7 |
Research Outputs
Journal
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Liu, J., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Hudson-Doyle, E., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Kempton, H., Van Ommen, C., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Scott-Campbell, C., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gardner, D., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Flett, R., Hill, S., Philipp, M., Towers, A., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
Thesis
[Doctoral Thesis]Authored by: Williams, M.

[Masters Thesis]Authored by: Williams, M.
Conference
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Taylor, J., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Other]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Kempton, H., Van Ommen, C., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Gardner, D., Williams, M.

[Conference Poster]Authored by: Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Philipp, M., Towers, A., Williams, M.

[Conference Poster]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.

[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
Other
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
Teaching and Supervision
Courses Coordinated
- 175.746 Psychological Research: Quantitative Data Analysis
Graduate Supervision Statement
My main research interests are:
- Misinformation and conspiracy theories. What drives people to believe and spread misinformation?
- Metapsychology and methodology. For example, how frequent are numeric reporting errors in published articles? How effective are attention checks when collecting data online?
- The relationship between renting and mental health. Dr Clifford van Ommen and I are seeking a doctoral student who is comfortable with quantitative methods to conduct a project on this topic.
Most of my research is quantitative, and I am a strong supporter of open science practices (e.g., preregistration, open data, open materials). I lead the Reproducible Psychology at Albany lab, where students can network with one another in a supportive environment.
Whenever possible, I prefer to work with students who have successfully completed 175.303 The Practice of Psychological Research and 175.746 Psychological Research: Quantitative Data Analysis (or equivalent courses from other institutions).
Availability
I no longer have any space for new supervision in 2023 (with the exception of project #3 listed above). I may have some space in 2024; if you're interested in working together then, please contact me around October 2023.
Dr Matt Williams is available for Doctorial supervision, but not available for Masters supervision.
Summary of Doctoral Supervision
Position | Current | Completed |
---|---|---|
Main Supervisor | 9 | 2 |
Co-supervisor | 3 | 5 |
Current Doctoral Supervision
Main Supervisor of:
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Nick Fox
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Anxiety, depression, stress, and belief in conspiracy theories: A longitudinal perspective -
Tamara McLean
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
A Scale Validation and Prevalence Estimate of Climate Change Anxiety in the General Population -
Andrew Dodge
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
An Exploration into Gender and Generational Differences in Mental Health Literacy in Australasia -
Casey Scott-Campbell
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Doctor of Philosophy
Exploring Evolutionary Insights about Suicide -
Shaun Garea
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Doctor of Philosophy
Loot Boxes and Proximal Gambling Practices Found in Video Games - view more...
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Sarah Kember
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Vaccination in Aotearoa: The role of anticipated regret, temporal discounting, and maternal mental health -
Mikayla Holman
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
A Temporal Network Analysis of Risk Factors for Suicide -
Shoni Marshall-Edwards
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Investigating Decision-Regret and Distress Among Psychologists Impacted by Client Suicide -
Donnella De Silva
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
The Relationship Between Self-Injury, Emotion Regulation, Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion among Young Adults - view less...
Co-supervisor of:
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Brandon McMurtrie
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Doctor of Philosophy
Social Identity, Affective Polarization and belief in Conspiracies -
Alex Shepherd
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Metacognition in relation to adult cognitive performance -
Evan Valdes
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Doctor of Philosophy
Investigating the Cross-Cultural Differences of Categorical Thinking on System Justification: Implications for Socioeconomic Status, Political Identity, and Life Satisfaction
Completed Doctoral Supervision
Main Supervisor of:
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2022
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Emily Cory
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Perfectionism in Young Adults -
2021
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Andrew Walmsley
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
The Right Tool for the Job: An Investigation into Men’s Help-Seeking Behaviours and Attitudes in a sample of New Zealand Construction Workers
Co-supervisor of:
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2021
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Brooke Yelavich
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
An Investigation of the Factors Relating to Attendance of Psychological Appointments -
2021
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Charlotte Gibson
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Babies and Babble: Parents' Experiences of the Neonatal Unit and the Role of the Babble App -
2021
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Natalija Damnjanovic
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
The “ACT-ive” Pursuit of Loss and Gain: The Impact of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based Intervention on Post Weight-Loss Surgery Individuals. -
2020
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Aramis Dennan
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
A Dominant Swipe: Does Ambivalent Sexism Impact Young Adults’ Engagement with Dating Applications? -
2019
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Joseph Smith
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Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Network Models of Mindfulness
Media and Links
Media
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29 Apr 2021 - Radio
RNZ The Panel
I was interviewed about our research on conspiracy theories (Marques et al., 2021) on RNZ's The Panel. -
27 May 2021 - Television
The Project
Our recent research on beliefs in conspiracy theories was covered on TV3's 'The Project'. (From 12:54 in the video) -
21 Mar 2022 - Television
Te Ao with Moana Season 4 Episode 3
Interview in episode entitled "Falling down the 'conspiracy theory' rabbit hole - a conversation with survivors" -
21 Jun 2015 - Newspaper
New research finds connection between climate and
An article in the Sunday Star Times entitled "New research finds connection between climate and crime" discussed my journal article "The relationship between temperature and assault in New Zealand". -
18 Mar 2022 - Newspaper
"They just lose it"
Koubaridis, A. (2022, March 18). ‘They just lose it’: New theory on anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists. Herald Sun. - view more...
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14 Nov 2021 - Newspaper, Online
Study to track why Kiwis fall down conspiracy, mis
Article by Jamie Morton describing my planned longitudinal study. -
03 Feb 2022 - Newspaper, Online
Pourquoi une croyance conspirationniste...
Pourquoi une croyance conspirationniste en renforce-t-elle d’autres ? [Why does one conspiratorial belief reinforce others?] Article in French on the Belgian news website RTBF by Johanne Montay. Descr -
01 Dec 2016 - Online
Interview:"Who Cares? What's the point?" (podcast)
I was interviewed on Sarb Johal's "Who cares? What's the point?" podcast, with the episode focusing on my research on climate change and human aggression. -
01 Dec 2016 - Online
Interview: "Who cares? What's the point?" podcast
My research on climate change and assault resulted in an interview on Sarb Johal's "Who cares? What's the point?" podcast. The interview was subsequently covered on sciblogs.co.nz, which is New Zealan - view less...