STAV ATIR 312 N. Geneva St., Apt 5, Ithaca, NY, 14850 (203) 809-1080 | [email protected] www.stavatir.com
Education
2012- CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NY Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology [expected, summer 2018] Committee Chair: Melissa Ferguson Committee Members: Thomas Gilovich, David Dunning, Khena Swallow
2006-2010 YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CT B.Sc. Magna Cum Laude, with Distinction in the Major Major: Psychology Senior thesis topic: The Effect of Humor on Memory Advisor: Marcia Johnson
2005 SACKLER FACULTY OF MEDICINE AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
Honors and Awards 2018 Cognitive Science Program Travel Grant ($500) 2017 Nominated for Cornell University’s Teaching Assistant Award 2017B Psychology Dept. Travel Award – Cornell ($200) 2017A Psychology Dept. Travel Award – Cornell ($200) 2016 Cognitive Science Program Travel Grant ($500) 2015 Honorable Mention for The Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant 2015 Cornell University Travel Grant ($440) 2015 Cornell University Graduate Research Grant ($500) 2015 SPSP Student Poster Award ($100) 2014 SPSP Travel Award ($500) 2014 Cornell University Travel Grant ($335) 2010 Yale University Angier Prize for best senior thesis in psychology 2010 Phi Beta Kappa, Yale University 2010 Psi Chi, Yale University
Publications Atir S., Rosenzweig, E., & Dunning D. A. (2015). When knowledge knows no bounds: Self-perceived expertise predicts claiming of impossible knowledge. Psychological Science, 26, 1295-1303.
People overestimate their own knowledge, erring at times by claiming knowledge of concepts, events, and people that do not exist and cannot be known, a phenomenon called overclaiming. Why and when do people claim such impossible knowledge? We proposed that people overclaim to the extent they perceive their expertise as high rather than low. Supporting this hypothesis, in Study 1, self-perceived knowledge in personal finance positively predicted claiming knowledge of nonexistent financial concepts. Study 2 demonstrated that self-perceived knowledge within
1 specific domains (e.g., biology) was associated specifically with overclaiming within those domains. In Study 3, warning participants that some concepts did not exist did not reduce the relationship between self-perceived knowledge and overclaiming, suggesting that the relationship is not driven by self-presentational concerns. Finally, in Study 4, boosting self-perceived expertise in geography prompted assertions of familiarity with nonexistent places, supporting a causal role for self-perceived expertise in claiming impossible knowledge.
Swallow, K. M., & Atir, S. (in press). The role of value in the attentional boost effect. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Focusing attention on one item typically interferes with the ability to process other information. Yet, target detection can both facilitate memory for items paired with the target (the attentional boost effect) and increase the perceived value of those items (cued approach). Because long-term memory is better for valuable items than for neutral items, we asked whether the attentional boost effect is due to changes in the perceived value of items that are paired with targets. In three experiments participants memorised a series of briefly presented images that depicted valuable (e.g., food) or neutral (e.g., toys) items. Whenever an item appeared, a square flashed in its center. Participants pressed a button if the square was a target color but not if it was a distractor color. Consistent with previous research, target-paired items were remembered better than distractor- paired items and were rated as more valuable. Importantly, if memory for target-paired items is enhanced because they increased in perceived value, then valuable items should have been better remembered than neutral items. However, we found no evidence that value enhanced memory for the items in this task. Thus, it is unlikely that the attentional boost effect is due to changes in perceived value.
Manuscripts under Review Atir S. & Ferguson, M. J. (2018). Darwin vs. Marie Curie: How Gender Determines the Way We Speak About Professionals. Under Review.
Gender inequality persists in many professions, particularly in high-status fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). We report evidence of a new form of gender bias that may contribute to this state: gender influences the way people speak about professionals. When discussing professionals or their work, it is common to refer to them by surname alone (e.g., Darwin developed the theory of evolution). We present evidence that people are more likely to refer to male than female professionals in this way. This gender bias emerges in archival data across domains; students reviewing professors online and pundits discussing politicians on the radio are more likely to use surname when speaking about a man (vs. a woman). Participants’ self- reported references also indicate a preference for using surname when speaking about male (vs. female) scientists, authors, and others. Finally, experimental evidence provides convergent evidence: participants writing about a fictional male scientist are more likely to refer to him by surname than participants writing about an otherwise-identical female scientist. We find that, on average, people are over twice as likely to refer to male than female professionals by surname. Critically, we identified consequences of this gender bias in speaking about professionals. Those referred to by surname are judged as more famous and eminent. They are consequently seen as higher-status and more deserving of eminence-related benefits and awards. For instance, scientists referred to by surname were seen as 14% more deserving of a National Science Foundation career award.
2 Manuscripts in Preparation Atir S., Rosenzweig, E., & Dunning D. A. (in preparation). The Role of Perceived Versus Genuine Expertise in Claiming Knowledge One Cannot Possibly Have
When do we confuse what we do and don’t know? Recent work suggests that self-perceived knowledge leads people to overclaim, i.e., to mistakenly assert knowledge of nonexistent terms that were invented for the study (Atir, Rosenzweig, & Dunning, 2015). However, self-perceived knowledge can diverge sharply from genuine knowledge. Does genuine expertise make it easier or harder to assess one’s knowledge? One prediction is that genuinely knowledgeable people will be more prone to overclaiming because they have more true information on which to draw in trying to construct meaning for nonexistent terms. Alternatively, genuine knowledge may aid in the instinctive detection of ignorance. In 6 studies, we find support for the latter. Holding constant self-perceived knowledge, participants who knew more about personal finance and science were less likely to overclaim knowledge of invented terms within those domains (Studies 1a-b). Students’ course grades negatively predicted overclaiming knowledge of invented course terms (Study 2). Doctors and medical students overclaimed less medical knowledge than did undergraduate premeds (Study 3). The effect is not explained by experts experiencing a sharper contrast between real items and foils (Study 4), or by the generation of fewer associations with the foils (Study 5). Finally, a difference in thinking processes partly mediates the impact of genuine expertise on overclaiming: those with greater expertise experience a more automatic (vs. deliberative) thinking process when judging their knowledge of specific concepts, which in turn predicts better differentiation between real and false knowledge (Study 6).
Rosenzweig, E, Atir S., & Dunning D. A. (in preparation). The Influence of Context on Overclaiming: When and Why Do People Claim to Know The Unknowable?
True knowledge requires not only identifying what one knows but also what one does not. Yet research has demonstrated that people often fail at this latter task, claiming knowledge of people, places, and concepts they cannot possibly know because those things do not exist, a phenomenon called overclaiming. Although overclaiming has heretofore been studied as an individual difference variable, we provide evidence that overclaiming is contextually dependent. Specifically, we present four studies designed to answer whether surrounding bogus concepts with familiar ones, relative to those more unfamiliar, prompts more overclaiming (assimilation) or less (contrast). We find evidence for a robust assimilation effect, such that people claim more knowledge of nonexistent concepts in a familiar than an unfamiliar context, and shed light on one inferential process that underlies it. We close by discussing how our work both connects to research on memory, self-knowledge, and attitudes, while opening new avenues for exploration in these areas.
Chaired Symposia Atir, S., (2018, May). Understanding the Persistent Gender Gap: New Evidence of Gender Biases from Developmental and Social Psychology. Symposium to be presented at The Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA. (Speakers: Stav Atir, Andrei Cimpian, Laura Kray, Tiffany Ito).
Atir, S., (2015, May). The When, How, and Why of Overconfidence: The Causes and Consequences of Accurate vs. Inaccurate Self-Knowledge. Symposium presented at The Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, New York, NY. (Speakers: Stav Atir, Matthew Fisher, Joyce Ehrlinger,
3 Elizabeth Tenney)
Conference Oral Presentations Atir, S., Ferguson, M. J. (2018, May). How We Talk about Men and Women: Gender Bias in Use of Surname and Its Consequences. Paper to be presented at The Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Dunning, D, Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E. (2017, October). The Role of Perceived Versus Genuine Expertise in Claiming Knowledge One Cannot Possibly Have. Paper presented at Society of Experimental Social Psychology Conference, Boston, MA.
Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2017, May). Knowing What You Know: Opposing Effects of Self-Perceived and Genuine Knowledge on Overclaiming. Paper presented at The Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, Boston, MA.
Atir S. & Ferguson, M. J. (2017, January). Smith Is a Distinguished Man: Men More Likely Than Women to Be Referred to by Their Last Name Only. Data Blitz paper presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas.
Atir, S., Khena, M. S. (2016, May). Exploring the Role of Value in the Attentional Boost Effect. Paper presented at The Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.
Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2015, May). A Lot of Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing: Expertise Predicts Overclaiming. Paper presented at The Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, New York, NY.
Atir, S., Dunning, D., & Rosenzweig, E. (2014, May). I Think I Know, Therefore I Overclaim; Perceived Self-Knowledge Predicts Overclaiming. Paper presented at The Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.
Conference Poster Presentations Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2017, January). The Effect of Self-Perceived vs. Genuine Knowledge on Overclaiming. Poster presented at The Judgment and Decision Making Pre-Conference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas.
Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2016, November). Knowing vs. Feeling Knowledgeable: Opposing Effects on Overclaiming. Poster presented at The Society for Judgment and Decision Making Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2016, January). Gaining Knowledge Increases Claims of Invented Knowledge. Poster presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.
Atir, S., Ferguson, M. (2016, January). Smith Is a Distinguished Man: Differences in Forms of Reference for Men and Women and Why They Matter. Poster presented at The Social Cognition Pre-Conference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.
4 Atir, S., Ferguson, M. (2015, February). What's in a Woman's First Name? Memory for Names of Female vs. Male Scientists. Poster presented at the Social Cognition Pre-Conference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California.
Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., Dunning, D. (2015, February). A Lot of Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing: Expertise Predicts Overclaiming. Poster presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California.
Swallow, K. and Atir, S. (2014, November). If Target Detection Boosts Memory for Context, Then What about Reward? Poster presented at the Psychonomic Society's Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California.
Atir, S. and Kable, J. W. (2012, March). Ventromedial Prefrontal Damage Increases Susceptibility to Contextual Effects on Decision-Making. Poster presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.
Mukherjee, D., Atir, S., & Kable, J. (2012, April). Negative Affect and Decision Making. Poster presented at the Anxiety Disorders Association of America Annual Meeting, Arlington, Virginia.
Atir, S., Higgins, J. A., & Johnson, M. K. (2010, March). Memory for Factual Information Is Enhanced When Accompanied by Humorous, Relevant Statements. Poster presented at the 24th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology, Tarrytown, NY. Above poster also presented at the Yale Undergraduate Psychology Symposium (2010, February).
Other Talks Atir, S., Higgins, J. A., & Johnson, M. K. (2010, April). Memory for Information Paired with Humorous, Relevant Statements (April, 2010). Yale University, Department of Psychology, Psi Chi event.
Teaching Experience 2017 The Individual in the Social World, Section Instructor (Professors: Thomas Gilovich & Amy Krosch) 2016 Adult Psychopathology, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Harry Segal) 2015 Social Cognition, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Melissa Ferguson) 2015 Introduction to Social Psychology, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Thomas Gilovich) 2014 Psychology and Law, Teaching Assistant (Professor: David Dunning) 2014 Introduction to Social Psychology, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Thomas Gilovich) 2013 Introduction to Personality Psychology, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Vivian Zayas) 2010 Psychology of Personality, Grader (Professor: Joseph Kable)
Teaching Evaluations The Individual in the Social World (Summer 2017)
To what extent did the instructor seem well-prepared for each class? 5.0 / 5 How well did the instructor explain course-related material? 5.0 / 5 To what extent was the instructor able to generate excitement for the subject matter? 4.8 / 5 Please rate the overall quality of your instructor. 5.0 / 5 Please rate your enjoyment of the course. 4.9 / 5
5 Sample open-ended comments:
“Stav was super helpful and explained everything so well. She also gave lots of examples where we would be able to EXPERIENCE the concepts we were studying.”
“I liked Stav’s ability to answer questions clearly. I also liked interactive games and real world examples we talked about because that helped me to remember concepts.”
“Stav is understanding and patient. She gives opportunities to everyone to express opinions and explains questions well. And the experiments and activities we did were really interesting.”
“Stav made sure everyone understood and also had fun. I would not change anything. Thank you for a great class.”
“She always answers our questions very clearly, helping us understand the concepts better. Her teaching style is fun and enjoyable. In her class, we gained knowledge as well as joy.”
Early Research Experience
2010-2012 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA, Research Specialist Advisor: Joseph Kable 2008-2010 YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CT, Research Assistant Advisor: Marcia Johnson 2009 WEIZMANN INSTITUTE, REHOVOT, ISRAEL, participant in the undergraduate summer program: The Karyn Kupcinet International Science School for Overseas Students Advisor: Yadin Dudai 2008 HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MA, Summer Research Assistant Advisor: Daniel Wegner
Professional Affiliations Association for Psychological Science (APS) Phi Beta Kappa Psi Chi Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Service Ad hoc Reviewer, Perspectives on Psychological Science Workshop Leader, 2 years, Expand Your Horizons at Cornell (a science conference for 7th–9th grade girls)
Selected Media Coverage BBC World Service; Business Insider; Gizmodo; Harvard Business Review; New York Magazine (Sciene of Us); Pacific Standard; Science Friday (podcast); Scientific American; The Washington post.
References Melissa J. Ferguson Thomas D. Gilovich Department of Psychology Department of Psychology
6 Cornell University Cornell University 230 Uris Hall 220 Uris Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 Ithaca, NY 14853
David A. Dunning Marcia K. Johnson Department of Psychology Department of Psychology University of Michigan Yale University 3239 East Hall 305-306 Sheffield Hall Ann Arbor, MI 48109 New Haven, CT
Joseph W. Kable Department of Psychology University of Pennsylvania 3720 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
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