Overview
Background
I'm a Professor of Cognitive Science at The University of Queensland, originally hailing from Alberta, Canada. I received my BASc in Philosophy and Psychology from The University of Lethbridge, my PhD in Psychology from McMaster University, and held a postdoctoral fellowship at UNSW before joining UQ in 2006.
Much of our work is at the intersection of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, exploring how generative AI can enhance learning and cognition. We're excited about the potential for these tools to provide personalised feedback, correct misconceptions, and create more engaging educational experiences.
But we’re not just focused on AI. We also explore the quirks of human thinking, particularly the biases that shape our judgments in contexts ranging from daily life to high-stakes decision-making. By unraveling these mental shortcuts, we aim to develop strategies that enable clearer thinking, more effective reasoning, and ultimately, wiser choices in the face of complexity and uncertainty.
I've been lucky to work with some truly brilliant students and collaborators over the years. It's a pleasure to come to the lab every day and tackle these fascinating questions together.
Availability
- Professor Jason Tangen is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, McMaster University
Research interests
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AI-Assisted Learning and Cognition
AI technologies — large language models and adaptive tutoring systems — offer promising avenues for enhancing learning outcomes and supporting cognitive processes. Our research explores the potential of personalised AI feedback to correct misconceptions, deepen understanding, and effect lasting changes in beliefs and knowledge. We’re investigating AI-driven dialogues’ efficacy in rectifying misconceptions in cognitive psychology and related fields, with implications for educational settings and public comprehension of complex issues. This work not only advances AI-assisted learning but also informs human cognition. Studying human-AI interactions yields insights into the cognitive mechanisms underpinning knowledge acquisition, belief updating, and conceptual change. Central to our inquiry is AI’s unique persuasive power in educational contexts — we’re examining its learning benefits alongside its implications for critical thinking in an increasingly AI-driven world. This dual focus allows us to harness AI’s potential while remaining mindful of its broader impact on cognitive development.
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Cognitive Biases and Decision-Making
Our research examines the wide range of cognitive biases that shape human judgment and decision-making across various domains. We study visual biases in forensic science and complex cognitive biases in everyday reasoning, exploring how these mental shortcuts influence our thinking. Our work on fingerprint identification revealed how contextual information can influence even expert decision-making, challenging assumptions about objectivity in forensic analysis. Currently, we’re investigating how different types of expertise and cognitive strategies might help overcome biases in critical areas such as financial forecasting, medical diagnosis, and public health policy-making. By combining insights from cognitive science with AI-driven approaches, we aim to improve human reasoning and problem-solving in real-world scenarios. Our goal is to connect theoretical understanding with practical application, promoting more rational decision-making in high-stakes environments where clear thinking is paramount.
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Insight Experiences and Belief Formation
Our team is developing a comprehensive framework to study insight or “Aha!” moments – those sudden realisations that can dramatically shift understanding and shape beliefs. We’re expanding on the Eureka heuristic by examining multiple facets of insight experiences, including their depth, “mystical” qualities, and the challenge of putting them into words. Our research explores how these dimensions relate to an individual’s propensity to experience insights. We’re particularly curious about the role these sudden revelations play in forming and maintaining beliefs, especially those related to conspiracy theories and paranormal phenomena. By measuring various aspects of insight experiences and tracking their influence on belief systems, we aim to uncover the cognitive processes driving belief formation and change. This work not only advances our understanding of how people arrive at new ideas but also offers potential strategies for promoting critical thinking and addressing misinformation. Through our novel methods, we aim to reveal how these “lightbulb moments” shape our worldview and influence our decisions.
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Resilience in High-Stakes Professions
Our collaboration with the Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance Service focuses on understanding resilience in forensic investigators and first responders. This multi-phase project explores how these professionals maintain their well-being and performance despite frequent exposure to traumatic events. We’re combining in-depth qualitative interviews, specially designed cognitive tasks, and advanced physiological measures to pinpoint the traits and skills that contribute to resilience. By examining how these professionals process and respond to challenging stimuli, we’re uncovering the cognitive strategies that allow them to thrive in high-stress environments. This research has far-reaching implications, potentially informing recruitment practices, refining training programs, and developing targeted support strategies for professionals in high-stress fields. Our findings could lead to interventions that not only enhance individual well-being but also improve public safety by ensuring that these critical professionals can perform at their best under challenging circumstances.
Research impacts
Our research team aims to promote rational thinking and counter misinformation across diverse domains. We created one of the world’s largest online courses on critical thinking, now being used in Ukraine to combat Russian disinformation. Our team advises forensic analysts on presenting evidence, lawyers on cross-examination techniques, and judges on excluding unreliable testimony. Additionally, we train senior police managers in high-stakes decision making and bias mitigation, and collaborate with bdna, a tech firm helping law enforcement worldwide reduce cognitive bias in investigations.
Known as “The Australian Study,” our groundbreaking work on fingerprint examiner accuracy and reliability was cited by the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, presented to leading international agencies including the FBI, Scotland Yard, and the Dutch Police, and referenced in expert reports by Australian police forces and the FBI. This research was also used to develop the Australian Federal Police’s innovative “Rapid Lab” intelligence process.
Our team is actively working to strengthen forensic science practices and their use in the justice system. We have designed competency tests that all Australia/New Zealand fingerprint experts must pass to testify in court, and developed a global resource promoting empirical studies in forensic science. Our work has been cited in landmark reports by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and President’s Council, and is informing new Victorian and NSW Supreme Court rules on forensic testimony.
We lead research projects helping industry partners solve challenging, high-impact problems, such as testing banknote security features for the Reserve Bank of Australia, developing passport loss reporting incentives for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and providing quarterly command training for Queensland Police Service leaders. In recognition of our collaborative efforts, we received a UQ Award for Excellence in HDR Industry Engagement and Leadership.
Works
Search Professor Jason Tangen’s works on UQ eSpace
2008
Conference Publication
On the preliminary psychophysics of fingerprint identification
Tangen, J. M. and Vokey, J. R. (2008). On the preliminary psychophysics of fingerprint identification. 35th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference, Freemantle, Australia, 28-30 March 2008. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1080/17470210802372987
2008
Conference Publication
On similarity in fingerprint matching
Tangen, J. M. and Vokey, J. R. (2008). On similarity in fingerprint matching. 19th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 6-9 October 2008.
2007
Conference Publication
The impact of situational framing on judgments of covariation
Perry, L., Young, M. E., Tangen, J. M. and Eva, K. W. (2007). The impact of situational framing on judgments of covariation. International Women's Conference 2007, New York, USA, March 2007.
2007
Conference Publication
Covariation judgments and implicit associations: An investigation into differential susceptibility to information order and expectation in senior and young adults
Young, Meredith, Tangen, Jason and Eva, Kevin (2007). Covariation judgments and implicit associations: An investigation into differential susceptibility to information order and expectation in senior and young adults. CSBBCS 2007: Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science 17th Annual Meeting, Victoria, BC, Canada, 15-17 June 2007. Ottawa, ON, Canada: Canadian Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/cjep2007034
2007
Conference Publication
Editing outliers and distorting data: The role of variability in human contingency judgements
Tangen, J. M. (2007). Editing outliers and distorting data: The role of variability in human contingency judgements. 48th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Long Beach, California, USA, 15-18 November 2007.
2007
Conference Publication
Conceptualising bird brains: Just what does a pigeon see in a Picasso?
Tangen, J. M. and Vokey, J. R. (2007). Conceptualising bird brains: Just what does a pigeon see in a Picasso?. 34th Australasian Experimental Psychology Conference, Canberra, Australia, 13-15 April 2007. United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
2006
Conference Publication
Data distortion in human covariation assessment
Tangen, J. M. (2006). Data distortion in human covariation assessment. 4th International Conference on Memory, Sydney, Australia, 16-21 July 2006.
2006
Conference Publication
Reaction to change: Differential performance of young and senior adults in covariation judgments
Young, M., Tangen, J. M. and Eva, K. W. (2006). Reaction to change: Differential performance of young and senior adults in covariation judgments. Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 22-24 June 2006.
2005
Journal Article
A signal detection analysis of contingency data
Allan, L. G., Siegel, S. and Tangen, J. M. (2005). A signal detection analysis of contingency data. Learning and Behavior, 33 (2), 250-263. doi: 10.3758/bf03196067
2005
Journal Article
Judging relationships between events: How do we do it?
Allan, Lorraine G. and Tangen, Jason M. (2005). Judging relationships between events: How do we do it?. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 59 (1), 22-27. doi: 10.1037/h0087456
2005
Conference Publication
The application of psychophysics to the perception of contingency
Allan, L. G., Siegel, S., Tangen, J. M. and Hannah, S. (2005). The application of psychophysics to the perception of contingency. Annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA, USA, March 2005.
2004
Book Chapter
Assessing (in)sensitivity to causal asymmetry: A matter of degree
Tangen, Jason M., Allan, Lorraine G. and Sadeghi, Hedyeh (2004). Assessing (in)sensitivity to causal asymmetry: A matter of degree. New Directions in Human Associative Learning. (pp. 65-93) Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi: 10.4324/9781410612113
2004
Journal Article
Cue interaction and judgments of causality: Contributions of causal and associative processes
Tangen, Jason M. and Allan, Lorraine G. (2004). Cue interaction and judgments of causality: Contributions of causal and associative processes. Memory and Cognition, 32 (1), 107-124. doi: 10.3758/BF03195824
2004
Conference Publication
Judging binary and continuous variables: Cue-interaction and the role of the outlier
Tangen, Jason M., Allan, Lorraine G., Shields, Steve and Moskal, Alexis B. (2004). Judging binary and continuous variables: Cue-interaction and the role of the outlier. Special Interest Meeting on Human Contingency Learning, Leuven, Belgium, 24-26 May 2004.
2004
Conference Publication
On the identification of latent fingerprints
Vokey, J. R., Tangen, J. M. and Boychuk, J. (2004). On the identification of latent fingerprints. Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science 18th Annual Meeting, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, June 2004.
2004
Journal Article
Visual kin recognition and family resemblance in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Vokey, John R., Rendall, Drew, Tangen, Jason M., Parr, Lisa A. and de Waal, Frans B. M. (2004). Visual kin recognition and family resemblance in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 118 (2), 194-199. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.118.2.194
2004
Conference Publication
Temporal contiguity and contingency
Allan, L. G. and Tangen, J. M. (2004). Temporal contiguity and contingency. Winter Conference on Animal Learning and Behavior, Winter Park, Colorado, USA, 7-11 February 2004.
2004
Conference Publication
A signal detection analysis of contingency data
Allan, Lorraine G., Siegel, Shepard and Tangen, Jason M. (2004). A signal detection analysis of contingency data. 14th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, 12-14 June, 2004.
2004
Book Chapter
Assessing (in)sensitivity to causal asymmetry: A matter of degree
Tangen, Jason M., Allan, Lorraine G. and Sadeghi, Hedyeh (2004). Assessing (in)sensitivity to causal asymmetry: A matter of degree. New directions in human associative learning. (pp. 65-95) edited by Andy J. Wills. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
2003
Journal Article
Temporal contiguity and contingency judgments: A Pavlovian analogue
Allan, L. G., Tangen, J. M., Wood, R. and Shah, T. (2003). Temporal contiguity and contingency judgments: A Pavlovian analogue. Integrative Physiological And Behavioral Science, 38 (3), 214-229. doi: 10.1007/BF02688855
Funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Jason Tangen is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Tangen Lab Research
If you'd like to join the lab, please read through some of our projects descriptions and papers to see if you're interested in the research questions we're asking.
-
Tangen Lab Research
If you'd like to join the lab, please read through some of our projects descriptions and papers to see if you're interested in the research questions we're asking.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Resilience in traumatic work situations.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Samuel Pearson
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Doctor Philosophy
Holding up a mirror to The Cognitive Reflection Test: Investigating the roles of intuition, reflection and insight in test performance
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Reflection Refracted: Why Rationality is More Than Just the Sum of Its Thoughts
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Balancing Efficiency with Equity: Exploring the Impact of AI-Driven Tutors on Learning in Higher Education
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Triggering Insights with AI: Using Large Language Models to Revise Beliefs
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
AI Tutors As 'Metacognitive Pumps' For Learning and Calibrating Confidence
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Noetel
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Doctor Philosophy
Does bullshit detection come from the gut? Investigating the role of analytic thinking in the detection of pseudo-profound bullshit
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Arousal Coherence: Feeling our way through uncertainty
Associate Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Improving adolescents' rationality to improve career decision-making skills and promote wellbeing
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Noetel
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Reverse engineering expertise in fingerprint identification
Principal Advisor
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
When "Aha!" moments are wrong: A new paradigm for experimentally induced false insights
Principal Advisor
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
The relationship between visual expertise and learned attention
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Communicating error and expertise in forensic expert testimony
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Blake McKimmie
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The Phenomenology of Truth: The Psychological Functions of the Insight Experience
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Visual discrimination on the basis of style: Evaluation of low-levels of awareness in human discrimination
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
On expertise in fingerprint identification
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Penelope Sanderson
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
The Highs and Lows of Visual Categorisation: Insights from Response Time Modeling
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Sewell
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Rethinking Auditory Alarms: Examining the potential for novel auditory displays to overcome the limitations of conventional alarms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Penelope Sanderson
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the Impact of Schemas on Victim Credibility in Rape Trials
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Barbara Masser, Professor Blake McKimmie
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Violent video games and prosocial behavior
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Nielsen
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Examining the utility of visual search tasks in assessing preferential attention to fear-relevant stimuli
Associate Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Modelling Dynamic Affective and Decision Making Processes during Approach and Avoidance Goal Striving
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Neal
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Jason Tangen directly for media enquiries about:
- Bias
- Categorisation
- Cognition
- Decision Making
- Discrimination
- Education
- Evidence
- Expertise
- Forensics
- Identification
- Insight
- Instruction
- Judgement
- Learning
- Memory
- Metascience
- Misinformation
- Performance
- Problem Solving
- Rationality
- Reasoning
- Thinking
- Training
- Validation
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