Claire Zedelius
About Claire Zedelius
Claire Zedelius is a Research Manager at YouGov, specializing in cognitive and neural mechanisms related to incentives and disinformation. She has a strong academic background with a PhD in Social Psychology and has contributed to significant research on curiosity and its impact on belief and sharing of disinformation.
Work at YouGov
Claire Zedelius has been serving as a Research Manager at YouGov since 2021. In this role, she applies her expertise in behavioral science to conduct research that informs public opinion and market trends. Her work at YouGov involves analyzing data and providing insights that help clients understand consumer behavior and preferences.
Education and Expertise
Claire Zedelius holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Psychology from Utrecht University, which she completed from 2008 to 2012. She also earned a Research Master in Behavioral Science from Radboud University Nijmegen between 2006 and 2008, and a Bachelor of Science in Social Psychology from the same institution from 2003 to 2006. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her research in cognitive mechanisms and behavioral insights.
Background
Before joining YouGov, Claire Zedelius held various academic positions. She worked as a Project Scientist at UC Santa Barbara from 2018 to 2021, where she focused on cognitive and neural mechanisms related to incentives. Prior to that, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the same institution from 2012 to 2017. She also served as Mentor Faculty at Antioch University for five months in 2019 and worked briefly as a Research Consultant at Litibit Corp in 2021.
Research Contributions
Claire Zedelius has conducted significant research on the impact of curiosity on the belief and sharing of disinformation, particularly in relation to COVID-19 and vaccine-related conspiracy theories. Her findings have been published in major media outlets, including the Washington Post and New York Times. Additionally, she developed a method to detect distraction in individuals, which involved probing them at random moments to identify patterns in spontaneous thoughts.
Achievements in Research
Throughout her career, Claire Zedelius has explored various aspects of cognitive psychology, including the counterproductive effects of poorly timed rewards, which can lead to performance issues akin to 'choking' under pressure. Her innovative approaches to studying distraction and curiosity have contributed to a deeper understanding of these phenomena in both academic and practical contexts.