Dr Matt Williams staff profile picture

Contact details +6492136117

Dr Matt Williams PhD, MA, GDipArts, BBS

Senior Lecturer in Psychology: Research Methods and Methodology

Doctoral Supervisor
School of Psychology

My primary interest is in the use of quantitative research methods in the social sciences. I'm especially interested in how psychological research methods can be used to study the relationship between human behaviour and climate change. I am strongly committed to Open Science practices in my research.

Professional

Contact details

  • 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
  • Psychometrics

Thematics

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):
Statistics (010400)

Keywords

Climate change and psychology, mental health, conspiracy theories, statistics.

Research Projects

Summary of Research Projects

Position Current Completed
Project Leader 5 4

Research Outputs

Journal

Gibson, C., Ross, K., Williams, M., & de Vries, N. (2021). The Experiences of Mothers in a Neonatal Unit and Their Use of the Babble App. SAGE Open. 11(2)
[Journal article]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.
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Williams, M. (2021). Levels of measurement and statistical analyses. Meta-Psychology. 5 Retrieved from https://open.lnu.se/index.php/metapsychology/article/view/1916
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Garea, SS., Drummond, A., Sauer, JD., Hall, LC., & Williams, MN. (2021). Meta-analysis of the relationship between problem gambling, excessive gaming and loot box spending. International Gambling Studies.
[Journal article]Authored by: Drummond, A., Hall, L., Williams, M.
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Marques, MD., Kerr, JR., Williams, MN., Ling, M., & McLennan, J. (2021). Associations between conspiracism and the rejection of scientific innovations. Public Understanding of Science.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Marques, MD., Ling, M., Williams, MN., Kerr, JR., & McLennan, J. (2021). Australasian Public Awareness and Belief in Conspiracy Theories: Motivational Correlates. Political Psychology.
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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1

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Smith, JH., Kempton, HM., Williams, MN., & van Ommen, C. (2021). Mindfulness as practice: A network analysis of FMI data. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research.
[Journal article]Authored by: Kempton, H., Van Ommen, C., Williams, M.
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Kember, SM., & Williams, MN. (2021). Autism in Aotearoa: Is the RAADS-14 a Valid Tool for a New Zealand Population?. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 37(3), 247-257
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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1
Holman, MS., & Williams, MN. (2020). Young New Zealanders’ beliefs about youth suicide and how it can be prevented. New Zealand Journal of Psychology. 49(1), 22-28
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Scott-Campbell, C., & Williams, M. (2020). Validating the workplace dignity scale. Collabra: Psychology. 6(1), Retrieved from https://online.ucpress.edu/collabra/article/6/1/31/114462/Validating-the-Workplace-Dignity-Scale
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, MN., & Jaftha, BA. (2020). Perceptions of Powerlessness Are Negatively Associated with Taking Action on Climate Change: A Preregistered Replication. Ecopsychology. 12(4), 257-266
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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1
Holman, MS., & Williams, MN. (2020). Suicide Risk and Protective Factors: A Network Approach. Archives of Suicide Research. , 1-18
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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1
Williams, MN., & Bond, CMC. (2020). A preregistered replication of “Inoculating the public against misinformation about climate change”. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 70
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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3
1
Williams, MN., & Albers, CJ. (2019). Dealing with distributional assumptions in preregistered research. Meta-Psychology. 3, Retrieved from https://open.lnu.se/index.php/metapsychology/article/view/1592
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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O’donnell, M., Nelson, LD., Ackermann, E., Aczel, B., Akhtar, A., Aldrovandi, S., . . . Steele, KM. (2018). Registered Replication Report: Dijksterhuis and van Knippenberg (1998). Perspectives on Psychological Science. 13(2), 268-294
[Journal article]Authored by: Drummond, A., Philipp, M., Williams, M.
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27
25
Lakens, D., Adolfi, FG., Albers, CJ., Anvari, F., Apps, MAJ., Argamon, SE., . . . Zwaan, RA. (2018). Justify your alpha. Nature Human Behaviour. 2(3), 168-171
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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143
123
Williams, MN., Bååth, RA., & Philipp, MC. (2017). Using Bayes Factors to Test Hypotheses in Developmental Research. Research in Human Development. 14(4), 321-337
[Journal article]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
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2
2
Furness, K., Williams, MN., Veale, JF., & Gardner, DH. (2017). Maximising potential: The psychological effects of the youth development programme project K. New Zealand Journal of Psychology. 46(1), 14-23
[Journal article]Authored by: Gardner, D., Williams, M.
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3
Towers, A., Williams, MN., Hill, SR., Philipp, MC., & Flett, R. (2016). What makes for the most intense regrets? Comparing the effects of several theoretical predictors of regret intensity. Frontiers in Psychology. 7(DEC)
[Journal article]Authored by: Flett, R., Hill, S., Philipp, M., Towers, A., Williams, M.
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9
8
Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2016). Erratum to: Will climate change increase or decrease suicide rates? The differing effects of geographical, seasonal, and irregular variation in temperature on suicide incidence (Climatic Change, 130, (2015), 519-528, 10.1007/s10584-015-1371-9). Climatic Change. 134(1-2), 341
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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Veale, JF., & Williams, MN. (2017). The psychometric properties of a brief version of the systemizing quotient. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 33(3), 173-180
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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2
1
Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2016). Do hotter temperatures increase the incidence of self-harm hospitalisations?. Psychology, Health and Medicine. 21(2), 226-235
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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10
7
Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2015). The relationship between temperature and assault in New Zealand. Climatic Change. 132(4), 559-573
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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8
6
Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2015). Will climate change increase or decrease suicide rates? The differing effects of geographical, seasonal, and irregular variation in temperature on suicide incidence. Climatic Change. 130(4), 519-528
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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10
9
Williams, MN., Grajales, CAG., & Kurkiewicz, D. (2013). Assumptions of multiple regression: Correcting two misconceptions. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation. 18(9), 1-14
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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104
Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2013). In response to "Temperature and violent crime in Dallas, Texas: Relationships and implications of climate change". Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 14(5), 567
[Journal article]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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Williams, MWM., & Williams, MN. (2012). Academic Dishonesty, Self-Control, and General Criminality: A Prospective and Retrospective Study of Academic Dishonesty in a New Zealand University. Ethics and Behavior. 22(2), 89-112
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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23
20
Williams, MN., & Jones, LM. (2012). Validating a measure of children's monitoring-blunting coping styles in dental situations. Psychology, Health and Medicine. 17(3), 274-284
[Journal article]Authored by: Williams, M.
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6
4

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Thesis

Williams, MN. (2016). How well do psychologists' research methods equip them to identify the impacts of climate change on behaviour? A methodological investigation with particular reference to the effects of temperature on violent behaviour. (Doctoral Thesis, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand)
[Doctoral Thesis]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, MN. (2010). Coping in the chair: A validation study of the Monitoring Blunting Dental Scale. (Master's Thesis)
[Masters Thesis]Authored by: Williams, M.

Conference

Gibson, C., Ross, K., Williams, M., & de Vries, N. (2019). Parents' experiences of the neonatal unit and the role of the Babble App. Poster session presented at the meeting of Paediatric Society of New Zealand 71st Annual Scientific Meeting. Auckland, New Zealand
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Ross, K., Williams, M.
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Williams, M. (2019, November). Open access publishing [Invited presentation]. Presented at Massey University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Ka Awatea annual conference. Palmerston North, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Philipp, M., & Williams, M.The Open Science Workshop. . Wellington, New Zealand
[Conference Other]Authored by: Philipp, M., Williams, M.
Williams, M., & Albers, C. (2018, September). Dealing with Distributional Assumptions in Pre-Registered Research.. Presented at Australasian Open Science Conference. Brisbane, Australia.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
Williams, M. (2018, November). Research methods in psychology. Presented at New Zealand Association of Psychology Teachers conference. Auckland, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, MN. (2018, April). Why social psychologists using Structural Equation Modelling need to pre-register their studies. Presented at Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP) Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Smith, J., Buttle, H., van Ommen, C., & Williams, MN. (2016, September). Placing mindfulness under the lens: A network analysis. Presented at New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Kempton, H., Van Ommen, C., Williams, M.
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Williams, MN., Furness, K., Veale, JF., & Gardner, DH. (2016, September). The effects of Project K on the wellbeing of adolescents: A multilevel model analysis. Presented at New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Gardner, D., Williams, M.
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Williams, MN. (2016). The robust negative relationship between mean temperature and national suicide rates. Poster session presented at the meeting of 28th Annual Association for Psychological Science Convention. Chicago, United States of America
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, MN. (2016, May). Bayes factor null hypothesis tests are still null hypothesis tests. Presented at Modern Modeling Methods conference. Storrs, United States of America.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, MN., Hill, SR., & Spicer, J. (2015, August). Will climate change increase or decrease suicide rates. Presented at NZPsS Annual Conference. Hamilton, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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Williams, M., Towers, ., Philipp, MC., & Hill, S. (2014, August). Predictably regretful: A comparison of the effects of time, domain, justification, and life rule contradiction on the intensity of regrets. Presented at New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference: Ka tū, ka oho - Te matai hinengaro me te ao hou: Psychology in a Changing World. Nelson, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Hill, S., Philipp, M., Towers, A., Williams, M.
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Williams, MN., & Hill, SR. (2013). Will hotter temperatures increase violent crime rates? The challenges of forecasting behavioural response to climate change. Poster session presented at the meeting of The New Zealand Climate Change Conference 2013. Palmerston North, New Zealand
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Hill, S., Williams, M.
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Williams, M., & Jones, LM. (2010, July). Interventions for children’s dental anxiety: Validating a coping styles scale. Presented at New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference 2010: Psychology for a sustainable Future A hinengaro ma tokana a mua. Rotorua, New Zealand.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Other

Marques, M., McLennan, J., Kerr, J., Ling, M., & Williams, M. (2021). Was Phar Lap killed by gangsters? New research shows which conspiracies people believe in and why.
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, M. (2019, May). Climate change, health, and psychology (Invited presentation: University of Auckland Health Psychology seminar series).
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Williams, M. (2019). Scales of measurement and statistical analyses.
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Brown, N., van Rongen, J., van de Velde, J., & Williams, M. (2019). A Reproduction of the Results of Onyike et al. (2003)..
[Internet publication]Authored by: Williams, M.
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Teaching and Supervision

Courses Coordinated

  • 175.738 Psychological Research: Principles of Design
  • 175.746 Psychological Research: Quantitative Data Analysis
Contact Supervisor

Graduate Supervision Statement

I currently supervise a large number of postgraduate students, and unfortunately cannot take on any further students in 2021.
I will look to make decisions about supervisions for 2022 during October or November of this year.


Dr Matt Williams is not currently available for Masters or Doctoral supervision.

Summary of Doctoral Supervision

Position Current Completed
Main Supervisor 9 0
Co-supervisor 3 3

Current Doctoral Supervision

Main Supervisor of:

  • Jacek Cywinski - Doctor of Philosophy
    Researchers' degrees of freedom
  • Andrew Dodge - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    Examining the help-seeking behaviours of young men in New Zealand in relation to mental health services.
  • Casey Scott-Campbell - Doctor of Philosophy
    Investigating the role of evolutionarily adaptive psychological abilities in suicide
  • Mikayla Holman - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    A Temporal Network Analysis of Risk Factors for Suicide
  • Sarah Kember - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    Vaccination in Aotearoa: the role of anticipated regret, temporal discounting and maternal mental health
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  • Shoni Marshall-Edwards - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    An investigation into the personal and professional experiences of bereaved mental health practitioners following client suicide
  • Andy Walmsley - 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
  • Donnella De Silva - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    The Relationship Between Self-Injury, Emotion Regulation, Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion among Tertiary Students
  • Emily Cory - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Perfectionism in Young Adults
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Co-supervisor of:

  • Shaun Garea - Doctor of Philosophy
    Loot Boxes and Proximal Gambling Practices Found in Video Games
  • Brooke Yelavich - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    An Investigation of the Factors Relating to Non-Attendance of Psychological Appointments
  • Natalija Damnjanovic - 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.

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Co-supervisor of:

  • 2021 - Charlotte Gibson - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    Babies and Babble: Parents' Experiences of the Neonatal Unit and the Role of the Babble App
  • 2020 - Aramis Dennan - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    A Dominant Swipe: Does Ambivalent Sexism Impact Young Adults’ Engagement with Dating Applications?
  • 2019 - Joseph Smith - Doctor of Clinical Psychology
    Network Models of Mindfulness

Media and Links

Media

  • 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 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".
  • 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
  • 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.

Other Links