ISPS Conference: “Misperceptions in Social Science Research”

Event time:

Friday, April 17, 2026 at 9:00am through Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 2:00pm

Location:

Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Room A002

77 Prospect Street

New Haven, CT 06511

Google Maps

PLEASE REGISTER AT THIS LINK TO ATTEND

Event description:

ISPS CONFERENCE

“Misperceptions in Social Science Research:
Latest Developments and Remaining Questions”

Studying misperceptions has become central to social science research. In some cases, scholars use misperceptions to re-evaluate established insights, assuming that in past research, various objects of inquiry might have been inappropriately defined or measured. In other cases, misperceptions emerge as the core object of interest, with respect to how individuals process information, form attitudes, and make choices. This renewed engagement with misperceptions across the social sciences has also opened the door to entirely new research questions, including ones in which misperceptions play a secondary role. This two-day workshop seeks to bring together scholars studying misperceptions in various contexts and methodologies.

Open to the Yale community - Registration is required at this link.

Schedule: Friday, April 17, 2026

time	activity
8:30 AM	Light breakfast (Room A001)
9:00 AM	Welcome and Opening Remarks (Room A002) Itamar Yakir, Yale University
9:15 AM	Keynote Address 1 (Room A002) Betsy Levy Paluck, Princeton University “Social Gravity”
10:30 AM	Coffee Break (Room A001)
11:00 AM	Panel 1: Non/Genuine-held Beliefs About Partisans (Room A002) Greg Huber, Yale University “Understanding the Roots of Perceived Polarization: What it means to be a partisan” Yph Lelkes, University of Pennsylvania “Partisan Misperceptions as Pseudo-Beliefs” Lilla Orr, University of Richmond “How Do Americans Explain Their Identification and Out-partisan Animosity?” Discussant: Matt Graham, Temple University
12:30 PM	Lunch break (Room A001)
1:30 PM	Panel 2: Networks (Room A002) Jen Dannals, Yale University “Origins of Bias in Perceived Social Network Formation” Jennifer Larson, Vanderbilt University “Changing Perceptions: Rumors, Social Networks, and Attitudes Towards Refugees” Discussant: Rajeshwari Majumdar, George Washington University
2:45 PM	Coffee break (Room A001)
3:15 PM	Panel 3: Social Norms (Room A002) Sara Constantino, Stanford University “Stress Testing Social Misperceptions: Incentivizing Accuracy and Reducing Demand Effects” Nicholas Sambanis, Yale University “Civic Culture and Norms of Good Citizenship in 17 Democracies” Discussant: Jen Dannals, Yale University
4:30 PM	Break/adjourn for the day

Schedule: Saturday, April 18, 2026

time	activity
8:30 AM	Light breakfast (Room A001)
9:00 AM	Panel 4: Comparative Perspectives (Room A002) Rajeshwari Majumdar, George Washington University “War Feeds Exclusionary Attitudes: Evidence from the 2025 Kashmir Terrorist Attack” John Marshall, Columbia University “The Generating and Then Meeting Demand: How Radio Can Increase Demand and Supply of Health Services in Tanzania” Beatrice Montano, Columbia University “The Politics of Misperceived Gender Norms: Experimental Evidence from Rural Tanzania” Discussant: Jennifer Larson, Vanderbilt University
10:30 AM	Coffee break (Room A001)
10:45 AM	Panel 5: Benchmark, Lookups and Topic Dependency (Room A002) Matt Graham, Temple University “Dealing with Lookups in Online Surveys about Facts” Christopher Wlezien, University of Texas at Austin “Benchmarking in Public Updating of Economic Perceptions” Itamar Yakir, Yale University “Disentagling True Beliefs from Political Expresssions in Individuals’ Perceptions of Out-groups” Discussant: Yph Lelkes, University of Pennsylvania
12:15 PM	Break for lunch service before Keynote Address (Room A001)
12:30 PM	Keynote Address 2 (Room A002) Leonardo Bursztyn, University of Chicago “The Cost of Staying Out”
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM	Closing remarks and adjournment (Room A002)

This conference is organized by ISPS postdoctoral associate Itamar Yakir with generous support from the ISPS Conference Funding Initiative.