Saara Taavila is a PhD candidate at the Department of Social Psychology at University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the complexity of sustainability information and how people engage with (or avoid) this information. She is especially interested in the intersection between information processing and cognitive biases.

Project description:

The rise of online media in recent years has been accompanied by a sharp uptick in the prevalence and spread of misinformation, such as fake news. While misinformation can be dangerous in and of itself, those most likely to fall for it also often exhibit overly high confidence in their analytical skills. In this study, we test an intervention correcting these overconfident beliefs to see if this reduces susceptibility to misinformation and intention to share fake news. We investigate whether correcting overconfidence offers an added benefit over traditional misinformation interventions (such as pre-warnings).

The results of the study will support ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact and spread of misinformation.

If you feel like Jessica’s project is the one for you, you can apply to join her team at jSchool 2023! To get more information on how to apply, the deadlines and more, visit this page.