Dr Lee de Wit

I trained as an experimental psychologist / cognitive neuroscientist, and and my current research applies experimental and computational social science methods to understand political psychology, with a focus on the measurement and drivers of polarization.

As part of a World Templeton Charity Foundation grant (Listening and Learning in a Polarized World), we have been testing how perceptions of dependencies between sources can impact polarization (this is a collaboration with Jens Madsen at LSE).
My lab helps to run the UK MHP Polarization Tracker, identifying the trends and patterns in polarization and distrust in British Politics (this is lead by David Young).
A number of projects attempt to map the structure of political beliefs, and the distribution of politically salient issues across different contexts.
Another line of research looks at how the values framing of different political messages or policy positions impacts

For more information, see my lab page, visit: Political Psychology Lab

Biography

I have previously served as a Teaching Fellow (2016-2018), and Senior Teaching Fellow (2018-2019) at University College London, and as the Academic Director for Psychology at the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Cambridge (2016-2017).

I originally studied Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol (2002-2005), and then did an Economic and Research Council–funded Masters (2005-2006, with Charles Fernyhough) and PhD (2006-2009, with David Milner FRS and Robert Kentridge) at Durham University. I then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Leuven working on the Gestalt Revision program of Johan Wagemans (2010-2015). I have also spent time as a visiting researcher with Geraint Rees at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (University College London), Glyn Humphreys at the University of Oxford, and Catherine Tallon-Baudry at the University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris.

Publications

Key publications:

For a full list of my publications, see Google Scholar

Selected Publications

Tanase, L, Dewies, M., Reisch, L., & de-Wit (in press). Bridging the Perception Gap in Parliament: UK MPs underestimate climate policy support and overestimate polarisation. Communications Sustainability.

Young, D. Ackland, J., Madsen, J., Greening, L., de-Wit, L (2026). A new measure of issue polarisation using k-means clustering: US trends 1988-2024 and predictors of polarisation across the world. Royal Society Open Science.

Young, D. J., Madsen, J. K., & de-Wit, L. H. (2025). Belief polarization can be caused by disagreements over source independence: Computational modelling, experimental evidence, and applicability to real-world politics. Cognition, 259, 106126.

Madsen, J.*, de-Wit, L.* Ayton, P., Brick, C., de-Moliere, L. & Groom C. (2024). Behavioural science should start by assuming people are reasonable. Trends in Cognitive Science.*Joint First Authors

Young, D. & de-Wit (2024). Within Party Affective Polarization. Political Psychology.

Ghai, S., de-Wit, L., Mak, Y. (2023). How we investigated the diversity of our undergraduate corriculum. Nature.

Buchanan, T., Ackland, J., Lloyd, S., van der Linden, S., de-Wit, L. (2022). Clear consensus among international public for government action at COP26: patriotic and public health frames produce marginal gains in support. Climatic Change, 170, 3.

Brick, C., Hood, B., Ekroll, V., & de-Wit, L. (2022). Illusory essences: A bias holding back theorizing in psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Teaching and Supervisions

Teaching:

I serve as the Director of Undergraduate Education, and I teach the following topics:

PBS1: Political Psychology

PBS2: Study design and R coding

PBS3: Morals, evolution and culture

PBS7: Applied Behavioural Insights

Biography

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Teaching and Supervisions

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