Cognitive shortcuts help you efficiently move through a complicated world. But they come with an unwelcome side effect: Facts aren't necessarily enough to change your mind.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Facts
Displaying 1 - 20 of 25 articles
Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call 'motivated reasoning.'
It's common to encounter people who are misinformed, but don't know it yet. What's the best way to talk to someone else about what they think is true?
Is making sense of a story more important than getting at its truth? Looking at the treatment of myth in ancient Greece may help us navigate what is true, and whether that matters.
Images without context or presented with text that misrepresents what they show can be a powerful tool of misinformation, especially since photos make statements seem more believable.
Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call 'motivated reasoning.'
The world faces a collision between facts and alternative facts – so how do experts get their message heard over the din of fake news?
What's the role of someone who, like
Robert Mueller, speaks only facts in a tornado of partisan bombast? Is it a breath of fresh air or an abdication of responsibility to protect America's interests?
How can a community decide the direction it should go, if its members cannot even agree on where they are? Two political scientists say the growing phenomenon of dueling facts threatens democracy.
Research suggests people intuitively draw a distinction between what is known and what is believed. Recognizing the difference can help in ideological disagreements.
When I was little, geologists worked out Earth's surface was made of pieces, like a giant puzzle. Those pieces, called “tectonic plates”, move and bump into each other and mountains form.
A video aimed at presenting the facts about Brexit repeats some of the same mistakes Remain supporters made before the 2016 referendum.
Food safety issues are at heart political.
The bullshitter may do even more damage than the liar in politics.
Cognitive psychologists know the way our minds work means we not only don't notice errors and misinformation we know are wrong, we also then remember them as true.
Reading something that sows doubt about a widely agreed-upon fact – even the election of George Washington as president – can have a profound effect.
Dealing with a co-worker or manager who says demonstrably false things can be a challenge, particularly at holiday office parties. Here's a guide to handle a colleague in denial.
The myth of the lone genius, hero scientist is dangerous for science and society. Here's how to fix it.
As Orwell knew only too well, if the concept of objective truth is moved into the dustbin of history there can be no lies. And if there are no lies there can be no justice, no rights and no wrongs.
Will the arrival and popularity of Oculus Go and other VR systems make us think differently about alternative realities and so-called alternative facts?
Top contributors
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
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Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University
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Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
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Senior Lecturer in Critical Thinking; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland
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Professor of International Relations, University of Sydney
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Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute, King's College London
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Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University
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Ronald W. Pies is a Friend of The Conversation.
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Lecturer on Bioethics & Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine; Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Psychiatric Times., Tufts University
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Professor and Chair of Linguistics, University of Sydney
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Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge
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Assistant Professor of History of Behavioral Science, The Ohio State University
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Jay Maddock is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
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Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire
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Associate professor of Rhetoric and Communications, University of Winnipeg
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Professor of Astroparticle Physics, Queen's University, Ontario
