Misinformation poses a serious challenge to societies and democracies worldwide. This symposium brings together novel methodological approaches and empirical insights on the psychology of misinformation, but also critically discusses current research practices and paradigms. Talk 1 (Lena Nadarevic, University of Mannheim) introduces an experiment testing the effectiveness of warnings against the truth effect in a simulated social media environment. Talk 2 (Mubashir Sultan, Max Planck Institute for Human Development) presents a meta-analysis on news veracity judgments of misinformation. It will aggregate previous findings, highlighting pertinent trends for the predictors of misinformation susceptibility, including demographics (e.g., age, political identity), analytical thinking, partisan bias, and the illusory truth effect. Talk 3 (Michael Geers, Max Planck Institute for Human Development) introduces a task analysis that identifies the processes required for users to share true content online. It also highlights some cognitive and motivational challenges for sharing true content, maps interventions, and identifies open research questions. Finally, a panel discussion critically discusses the current state of misinformation research, including reflections on the ecological validity of experimental paradigms and the extent to which some work on misinformation has come short of building on previous psychological research. Next to the speakers of talks 1-3, the discussion features Pia Lamberty, co-director of the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS). She studies how people at the center of society are radicalized by conspiracy theories and reject democracy altogether, and her real-world experience may offer a new perspective that many experimental psychologists do not have.
Mubashir Sultan (Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Center for Adaptive Rationality) | Humboldt University of Berlin (Department of Psychology))