Affiliation: University of Cambridge

Abstract:

Socio-cognitive mechanisms of (mis)information influence: Being influenced, resisting influence and competing for influence

Social influence is a part of everyday human life – we make attempts to influence the judgements, beliefs, and opinions of others, we are influenced ourselves and we actively resist influence. In today’s complex information ecosystem where social information is ubiquitous, our judgements of (mis)information can be influenced by a series of socio-cognitive processes, either due to group dynamics, or through direct influence, coercion, or deception attempts. But how do social influence and group processes interact with the more cognitive process of judgement formation? In this talk, I present a series of experimental and intervention studies on the impact of social influence mechanisms and group dynamics on susceptibility to believing misinformation, how these processes impact the efficacy of so-called psychological ‘vaccines’ against persuasion and finally, some of the strategies individuals use to ‘win’ when they compete for influence.