STAV ATIR Center for Decision Research, Booth School of Business, Chicago, IL, 60637 ssa62[at]cornell[dot]edu www.stavatir.com

Current Position

2018- THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, CHICAGO, IL Center for Decision Research Postdoctoral Fellow

Education

2018 CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NY Ph.D. in Social and Personality Committee Chair: Melissa Ferguson Committee Members: Thomas Gilovich, David Dunning, Khena Swallow

2010 YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CT B.Sc. Magna Cum Laude, with Distinction in the Major Major: Psychology Advisor: Marcia Johnson

2005 SACKLER FACULTY OF MEDICINE AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Honors and Awards 2020 Beyond the Ivory Tower Writing Workshop (Selected Participant, $1750 honorarium) 2019 Thaler-Tversky Research Grant ($3000) 2018 Rosenthal Research Fund ($1500) 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

1 Atir S. & Ferguson, M. J. (2018). How gender determines the way we speak about professionals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 115, 7278-7283.

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.

Atir S. & Ferguson, M., J. (2018). Do you use someone's first name or last? The answer speaks volumes. The Wall Street Journal.

Swallow, K. M., & Atir, S. (2018). 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 . 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.

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

2 Study 1, self-perceived knowledge in personal finance positively predicted claiming knowledge of nonexistent financial concepts. Study 2 demonstrated that self-perceived knowledge within 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.

Manuscripts Under Review Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E, & Dunning D. A. (2020). The Influence of Context on Overclaiming: When and Why Do People Claim to Know The Unknowable? Under review at the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

True knowledge requires not only identifying what one knows but also recognizing what one does not. Yet people often fail at the latter task, believing they have knowledge of people, places, and concepts they cannot possibly possess because those things do not exist—a phenomenon called overclaiming. Research has shown substantive individual differences in overclaiming; we provide evidence that overclaiming is also contextually dependent. In six studies, we show that surrounding nonexistent concepts with familiar ones, relative to unfamiliar ones, prompts more overclaiming. We find a robust assimilation effect, such that people claim more knowledge of nonexistent concepts when they know the other concepts presented. This effect is driven by a self- inference process; familiarity with some concepts in a category leads people to infer that they know nonexistent ones labeled as belonging to that category as well. This inference occurs when people are asked about their knowledge – a self-relevant judgment – but not when they rate the same familiar concepts along a non-self-relevant dimension (e.g., valence). We discuss connections of this work to research on memory, self-knowledge, and attitudes, suggesting avenues for future research.

Manuscripts in Preparation Atir, S., Wald, K., & Epley, N. (in preparation). People Underestimate Learning From Conversations.

Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., & Dunning D. A. (in preparation). Do Experts Know What They Can't Know? Genuine Expertise Predicts Less Claiming of Impossible Knowledge.

Atir, S. & Risen, J. L. (in preparation). If I Don’t Know, I Don’t Want to Know: People Low in Subjective Knowledge Are Reluctant to Engage in Self-Explaining as a Learning Strategy.

Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (in preparation). Why Is Smith Always a Man? The Association Between Surname and Gender and Its Consequences.

Selected Work in Progress Atir, S., Rosenzweig, E., & Dunning, D. A. (in progress). The Dark Side of Learning: Gaining Knowledge Increases Claims of Invented Knowledge.

3 Atir, S. & Risen, J. L. (in progress). The Curse of Teaching: Teaching Increases Objective Knowledge and Reduces Subjective Knowledge.

Chandran, A* & Atir, S*. (in progress). The Face of Surnames: Using Reverse Correlation to Reveal the Consequences of the Surname Gender Bias. (*equal authorship)

Atir, S., Ferguson, M. J., and Talhelm, T. (in progress). A Cross-Cultural Study of the Gender Bias in Reference.

Yang, Z., Atir, S., & Risen, J. L. (in progress). The Effectiveness of Taking Notes for Self Vs. Other.

Atir, S. & Epley, N. (in progress). Generalizing From Learning Experiences.

Atir, S. & Koch, A. (in progress). Suboptimal Use of Entertainment in Education

Atir, S. & Fishbach, A. (in progress). As a Husband and Father: When Does Empathy Require Mediation?

Chaired Symposia Atir, S., (2019, February). Explaining the Gender Gap in the Workplace: New Evidence from Developmental and Social Psychology. Symposium presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Portland, OR. (Speakers: Stav Atir, Andrei Cimpian, Katie Kinzler/Isobel Heck, Tiffany Ito).

Atir, S., (2018, May). Understanding the Persistent Gender Gap: New Evidence of Gender Biases from Developmental and Social Psychology. Symposium 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, Elizabeth Tenney)

Conference Oral Presentations Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (2020, July). The Effect of Gender on Speaking About Professionals. Paper to be presented at The European Association of Social Psychology, Krakow, Poland. (Conference canceled due to COVID-19)

Atir, S., Wald, K., Epley, N. (2020, February). Other People Are a Surprising Fount of Knowledge. Data Blitz paper presented at The Social Cognition Preconference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Atir, S., Wald, K., Epley, N. (2020, February). Other People Are a Surprising Fount of Knowledge. Data Blitz paper presented at The Self & Identity Preconference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

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Atir, S., Wald, K., & Epley, N. (2019, November). Everyone You Meet Has Something to Teach You: People Underestimate How Much They Learn From Conversations. Paper presented at The Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Montreal, Canada.

Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (2019, July). Subtle Gender Bias in Science: How Do We Speak About Professionals? Invited talk presented as part of diversity session at The Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (2019, February). Smith Is an Eminent Man: Gender Bias in Use of Surname and Its Effect on Evaluations of Professionals. Paper presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Portland, OR.

Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (2019, February). Why Is Smith Always a Man? Explaining the Gender- Surname Bias. Paper presented at The Social Cognition Preconference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, Portland, OR.

Atir, S., & Ferguson, M. J. (2018, May). How We Talk about Men and Women: Gender Bias in Use of Surname and Its Consequences. Paper 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. (2020, February). Learning More Than You Can Know: The Effect of Gaining Knowledge on Overclaiming. Poster presented at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

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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 Preconference 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 Preconference at The Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.

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 Preconference 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., & 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., & 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).

Invited Talks 2019 Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University 2019 Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology Annual Meeting, Diversity Session and Panel 2018 University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, Brown Bag Talk Series

6 Teaching Experience 2019 Negotiations, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Linda Ginzel) 2018 Leadership, Teaching Assistant (Professor: Linda Ginzel) 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 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 , CAMBRIDGE, MA, Summer Research Assistant Advisor: Daniel Wegner

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Professional Affiliations Association for Psychological Science (APS) Phi Beta Kappa Psi Chi The Society for Judgment and Decision Making Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)

Service Ad hoc Reviewer, Nature Communications Ad hoc Reviewer, Social Cognition Ad hoc Reviewer, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Ad hoc Reviewer, Perspectives on Psychological Science Reviewer, Society for Personality and Social Psychology student poster award Reviewer, Society for Judgment and Decision Making student poster award Mentor, SPSP Peer Advising Program 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; Forbes; Gizmodo; Harvard Business Review; New Scientist; New York Magazine (Science of Us); Pacific Standard; Science Friday (podcast); Science; Scientific American; The Washington Post.

8 References Melissa J. Ferguson [email protected] Department of Psychology Cornell University 230 Uris Hall Ithaca, NY 14853

Nicholas Epley [email protected] University of Chicago Booth School of Business 5807 S. Woodlawn Ave Chicago, IL 60637

David Dunning [email protected] Department of Psychology University of Michigan 3239 East Hall Ann Arbor, MI, 48109

Jane L. Risen [email protected] University of Chicago Booth School of Business 5807 S. Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, IL 60637

Joseph W. Kable [email protected] Department of Psychology University of Pennsylvania 3720 Walnut St Philadelphia, PA 19104

Thomas D. Gilovich [email protected] Department of Psychology Cornell University 220 Uris Hall Ithaca, NY 14853

Ayelet Fishbach [email protected] University of Chicago Booth School of Business 5807 S. Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, IL 60637

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