Press
Our research in the news
2025
Winners of the Best Personal Academic Websites Contest 2025
The Academic Designer
The Learning and Behavior Change Lab website was awarded "Best Research Lab or Group Website"! Judges say: "This is one of the best stylized Owlstown websites that Iāve seen. I love the cohesion of the color schemes in the visuals. [...] Words, graphics, and illustration shares the story, and weāre then invited to explore the research and team."
Open Philanthropy Awards $336K to Map the Impact of Scientific Funding Cuts
Annenberg News
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland are jointly leading efforts to communicate the science and community impacts of ongoing cuts to federal funding for science and medical research.
Triangle at the epicenter of proposed cuts to federal funding for medical research
WRAL News
Researcher Alyssa Sinclair, a cofounder of the SCIMaP project who received a doctorate from Duke, said she wants to help educate voters about the importance of science funding in their home communities. She says the proposed cuts could devastate the research community. The Triangle is āa powerhouse for research, especially biomedical research,ā Sinclair told WRAL.
WUNC: NC Public Radio
North Carolina could take a $3 billion hit to its economy if a White House request to slash NIH funding ends up in the final federal budget. UPenn researcher Alyssa Sinclair recently spoke with WUNC reporter Brianna Atkinson about the potential impact of the Trump-proposed cuts.
Does sleeping on a problem really work?
TIME Magazine
The idea of sleeping on a problem and seeing if you can get some clarity in the morning is a common one, but is it scientifically sound? A growing body of research says yes. Alyssa Sinclair, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, found that after sleeping on a difficult task, people were more level-headed the next day.Ā
WHYY News
Researchers mapped out the economic impact of the federal government canceling research grants that had already been approved. Allie Sinclair, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with other researchers to map how the research cuts impact communities outside of the individual universities and research institutions.
Many people believe climate change is happening, but most don't act. Why?
Anthropocene Magazine
A new study looks systematically for what worksāand what doesnātāto overcome psychological barriers that keep people stuck in the carbon-emissions status quo.
Psychology of Eco-Action: Driving change through behavior
World Today News
A recent study offers new approaches to drive climate action, focusing on how individuals perceive the future. Researchers have identified effective strategies to translate awareness of climate change into tangible actions, such as imagining long-term impacts or planning for environmental goals.
What behavioral strategies motivate environmental action?
Penn Today
A collaborative study from researchers affiliated with the Annenberg School for Communication, Annenberg Public Policy Center, and School of Arts & Sciences tested 17 strategies in an āintervention tournament.ā
Mapping local economic consequences of federal cuts to NIH: How they did it
Association of Health Care Journalists
As the federal cuts to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other science institutions began to unfold in January and February, communications researcher Alyssa Sinclair, Ph.D., and health data expert Joshua Weitz, Ph.D., immediately saw the need for information about local economic effects. Both saw a need to apply their experience during yet another national crisis.Ā
Where NIH grant cuts could hit the hardest
Modern Healthcare
Universities and academic medical centers would not be alone in bearing the impact of proposed cuts to federal grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health.
A closer look at the nationwide impact of NIH cuts
Axios
Nearly half of all U.S. counties will experience economic losses of at least $250,000 as a result of the Trump administrationās planned cuts to indirect funding by the National Institutes of Health, per the Science & Community Impacts Mapping Project.
Annenberg News
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland show that proposed NIH funding cuts lead to an estimated $16 billion in economic loss and 68,000 jobs lost nationwide.
2024
"Sleeping on it" can lead to better decisions
Sleep Review
Research suggests that delaying decisions by sleeping on them helps balance first impressions with more thoughtful judgment, leading to better choices.
Sleep can help you avoid first impression traps
Futurity
New research shows that sleep can help you avoid the pitfalls that can come with first impressions.
Yet another reason why you should sleep on it before making an important decision
Duke Today
Science proves, once again, that we are easily deceived by first impressions. But according to a new study, sleeping on it can help us avoid judging a book solely by its cover.
What are the most effective strategies to inspire action on climate change?
Annenberg News
The Communication Neuroscience Lab is conducting an intervention tournament, testing strategies to change beliefs and intentions regarding climate change.
2023
How a curious mind can improve your learning
Med India
A recent study discovers that an urgent mentality is useful in short-term problems, but an inquisitive mindset improves long-term memory and behavior.
This one simple brain hack might boost learning and improve mental health
Duke Today
A simple shift from a high-pressure mindset to a curious one improves peopleās memory.
Why aren't people getting the bivalent COVID booster?
MedPage Today
Survey shows lack of awareness on eligibility, availability, and some just think they are immune.
Survey finds Americans still don't know they're eligible for updated COVID-19 booster shot
U.S. News & World Report
Just 18% of Americans have gotten the updated COVID-19 booster shot, according to CDC data.
2021 ā 2022
How trying to predict the future can transform your memories
Big Think
Whenever youāre surprised, thereās a good chance that your brain is busy tweaking your memories.
An element of surprise is the recipe for creating false memories
Duke Today
It turns out that human memory can be edited on the fly, creating memories that are nowhere near set in stone. A team of researchers has figured out how that happens and proved it by making people misremember.
Researchers reveal how our brains update memories when we discover they're wrong
University of Toronto Arts & Sciences News
Understanding how our memories are preserved, how they are updated, how this allows us to adaptively function in the world ā I think that is a fascinating question.
What are your chances of being exposed to COVID-19 at an event? These tools can help you find out
ABC 11 Eyewitness News
Individuals can use the mapping tool like a weather app. Check the risk they might face and then make the decision on how that will affect them. We cannot control that external risk but we can control our own behavior, Sinclair said.
Why it's so hard to predict where the COVID-19 pandemic is headed next
Wired
Models still have some function, Sinclair says, so long as they are presented in a way thatās relevant to peopleās actual livesā showing how the pandemic can be expected to unfold locally, and soon.
Imagination exercise helps people get a grip on real pandemic risks
Duke Today
Putting risk data into context of everyday activities leads to more realistic appraisals.
Nature Aging News & Views
Older adults are at high risk of suffering debilitating health effects from COVID-19. Effective communication of associated risks is therefore paramount. A new study finds that imagining a personalized disease transmission event amplifies perceived risk and bolsters risk-related information seeking in older age.
When Grandma's optimism bias gets in the way of perceiving COVID-19 risks
Lab Roots
The profound impact of COVID-19 on all our lives brought the concept of risk front and center. For older adults especially, the risks are literally about life and death.
Memory, belief updating, and learning from error
Default Mode, WZBC-Newton 90.3fm Radio Show
I talk with Allie Sinclair, Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, about memory, belief updating, and learning from error.
2018 ā 2020
Right-Wing Authoritarianism and reduced updating
All Things Cognition, Psychonomic Society Podcast
If you have high right-wing authoritarian attitudes, then you will be less likely to change your answers when asked again even after being told the right answers.
Right-Wing Authoritarians are less likely to update false beliefs after corrective feedback
PsyPost
New research has found that right-wing authoritarians tend to be less successful at correcting erroneous beliefs than others. The study, published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, provides evidence that cognitive factors, such as a general aversion to new information, are related authoritarian attitudes.
Teaching with Learning in Mind
In educational settings we are more likely to think about retrieving relevant prior knowledge prior to acquiring new information. [ā¦] this line of research can advance our understanding of the intricacies of the learning process, and enrich our ability to both evaluate and formulate effective approaches for teaching.
Allie Sinclair soars through university as UofT's top student
University of Toronto News
Allie Sinclair finished at the University of Toronto with a 4.0 GPA and the highest marks of thousands of graduating undergraduate students.