# Gordon Pennycook

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Canadian psychologist

Gordon Pennycook Born Carrot River, Saskatchewan, Canada Academic background Education BA, 2009, University of Saskatchewan MA, 2011, PhD, 2016, University of Waterloo Thesis What makes us think?: a three-stage dual-process model of analytic engagement (2016) Academic work Institutions University of Regina

**Gordon Robert Pennycook** is a Canadian psychologist who is an [associate professor](/source/Associate_professor) at [Cornell University](/source/Cornell_University).[1] He is also an adjunct [professor](/source/Professor) of Behavioural Science at the [University of Regina](/source/University_of_Regina)'s Hill and Levene Schools of Business. In 2020, he was elected to be a member of the [Royal Society of Canada](/source/Royal_Society_of_Canada)’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.

## Early life and education

Pennycook grew up in [Carrot River, Saskatchewan](/source/Carrot_River%2C_Saskatchewan), Canada.[2] He earned his [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) degree at the [University of Saskatchewan](/source/University_of_Saskatchewan) before enrolling at the [University of Waterloo](/source/University_of_Waterloo) for his [Master's degree](/source/Master's_degree) and PhD.[3] At the University of Waterloo, Pennycook co-authored *On the Reception and Detection of Pseudo-Profound Bullshit* which won the 2016 [Ig Nobel Peace Prize](/source/Ig_Nobel_Prize).[4] Upon graduating, he received the Governor General's Gold Medal for outstanding scholastic achievements of a student in Canada and accepted a [Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council](/source/Social_Sciences_and_Humanities_Research_Council) Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at [Yale University](/source/Yale_University).[5] As a Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pennycook became interested in [fake news](/source/Fake_news) and conducted studies on people sharing misinformation on social media.[6]

## Career

Following his Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pennycook became an [assistant professor](/source/Assistant_professor) of Behavioural Science at the [University of Regina](/source/University_of_Regina)'s Hill and Levene Schools of Business. In 2018, he received a research grant from the Miami Foundation to examine why people fall for fake and hyperpartisan news.[7] He also edited a book, *The New Reflectionism in Cognitive Psychology: Why Reason Matters* and authored five book chapters. As a result of his academic achievements, Pennycook received the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS) Vincent Di Lollo Early Career Award.[8] Later that year, Pennycook was named a member of the [Royal Society of Canada](/source/Royal_Society_of_Canada)’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.[9]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Gordon Pennycook | Department of Psychology"](https://psychology.cornell.edu/gordon-pennycook). *psychology.cornell.edu*. Retrieved 2023-08-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Gerbic_2-0)** Gerbic, Susan (August 14, 2019). ["Slow Down – Filter and Reflect with Gordon Pennycook"](https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/slow-down-filter-and-reflect-with-gordon-pennycook/). [Skeptical Inquirer](/source/Skeptical_Inquirer). Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Gordon Pennycook"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220626094512/https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/people-profiles/gordon-pennycook). University of Waterloo. Archived from [the original](https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/people-profiles/gordon-pennycook) on June 26, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Psychology study on bullsh_t wins Ig Nobel prize at Harvard University"](https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/news/psychology-study-bullsh-t-wins-ig-nobel-prize-harvard). University of Waterloo. September 23, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Faculty of Arts takes to the Convocation stage today"](https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/news/faculty-arts-takes-convocation-stage-today). University of Waterloo. June 14, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ryder2022_6-0)** Ryder, Zena. ["Interview with Gordon Pennycook"](https://epp.ok.ubc.ca/about/freedomsandclimatechange-4/misinformation-age/gordon-pennycook/). University of British Columbia. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Fake news and social media: Research grant success for Dr. Gordon Pennycook"](https://www2.uregina.ca/business/research/2018/06/14/fake-news-and-social-media-research-grant-success-for-dr-gordon-pennycook/). University of Regina. June 14, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Not fake news: U of R psychologist wins major national award"](https://www.uregina.ca/external/communications/feature-stories/current/2020/03-18.html). University of Regina. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Too good to be true? U of R expert on disinformation honoured with membership into the Royal Society of Canada"](https://www.uregina.ca/external/communications/feature-stories/current/2020/09-08.html). University of Regina. September 8, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

## External links

- [Gordon Pennycook](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AIbJenwAAAAJ) publications indexed by [Google Scholar](/source/Google_Scholar)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gordon Pennycook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Pennycook) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Pennycook?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.