Rachel Stephens

Dr. Rachel Stephens is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at The University of Adelaide, within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. She serves as Director of the Reasoning and Decisions Lab and focuses on cognitive processes underlying human reasoning and decision-making. Her research explores dual-process theories, online information environments, and developing interventions to enhance reasoning skills.

Key research areas include testing dual-process theories against single-process alternatives, analyzing social media's impact on belief formation, and mitigating misinformation through digital tools like fact-checking systems. She has secured significant funding from organizations such as the Defence Innovation Partnership and Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator for projects like MAGPIE (Monitoring And Guarding the Public Information Environment).

Dr. Stephens actively supervises Masters and PhD students in topics such as reasoning consensus, decision-making under time pressure, and reasoning aids design. She holds leadership roles in professional societies, including presidency of the Australian Society for Mathematical Psychology.

Awards include the Barbara Kidman Women's Fellowship (2023) and Emerging Leaders Development Award (2022). Her teaching portfolio includes coordinating foundational psychology courses and developing programs on individual psychology.