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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS 105"
COURSE NAME: "The Psychology of Misinformation and Irrational Belief"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Carola Salvi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course explores the psychological processes behind the proliferation and spread of misinformation and irrational belief (e.g., fake news, conspiracy theories) as well as their impact on individuals and society. Through a review of psychological theories and research, as well as the analyses of real-world cases, students will gain a deeper understanding of how cognitive and social factors contribute to susceptibility and acceptance of false information and pseudoscientific claims, as well as the tools to critically engage with and assess such claims, cultivating scientific skepticism.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course involves a combination of lectures and practice. The lectures will examine the cognitive and social underpinnings of irrational beliefs, such as the role of cognitive biases (e.g., confirmation bias) in belief formation, the social psychological processes contributing to accepting and spreading misinformation, fake news and pseudoscientific claims, as well as the social and political consequences of holding and spreading irrational beliefs. The practical exercises will focus on intervention strategies (e.g., analytical and statistical thinking) to combat irrational beliefs. Through the analysis of real-world cases and examples (e.g., no-vax movement), students will learn how to recognize and debunk false claims.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course is designed with 5 goals in mind, which will help students work towards achieving the main learning objectives of the major (indicated in parenthesis).
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the difference between fake news, misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy beliefs, pseudoscientific claims, and their impact on society (e.g., politics, public health) (LOS1)
2. Understand the role of cognitive biases in accepting and spreading misinformation, and what are effective strategies for “debiasing” (i.e., reducing the harmful effects of cognitive biases). (LOS1)
3. Understand how social and group dynamics (e.g., groupthink) may contribute to the formation, diffusion, and reinforcement of irrational beliefs. (LOS1)
4. Identify the psychological factors that lead individuals to believe in, engage with, and share false information. (LOS1)
5. Apply their psychological knowledge to evaluate claims and combat misinformation. (LOS2,3)
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science | Kaufman, A. B., & Kaufman, J. C. | MIT Press | 9780262344814 | | |
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Exam 1 | | 15% |
| Exam 2 | | 15% |
| Exam 3 | | 20% |
| Pseudoscience case-study | | 10% |
| Conspiracy Project | | 30% |
| Class engagement | | 10% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Week
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Day
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Topic
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Readings
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1
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Intro: Are Humans Rational thinkers?
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Thinking Fast and Slow.Part 1.1-1.4
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Intro: Inductive and deductive reasoning.
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2
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System 1 and System 2 |
Thinking Fast and Slow.Part 1.5-1.7
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Biases and the Illusory truth effect
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3
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Biases & heuristics
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Thinking Fast and Slow.Part 1.8-1.9. PART II
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Biases & heuristics applied to Information and beliefs
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4
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Wesson's selection task and Falsification |
Thinking Fast and Slow.PART II
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Principles of scientific reasoning. What is science and what is NOT science
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5
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Probabilistic Reasoning
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Thinking Fast and Slow.PART II
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Addiction and the media. Echo Chambers and polarization.
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6
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The psychology of pseudo-profound beliefs, Overclaiming and intellectual humility
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Cognitive flexibility and polarization
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7
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Role-playing lead by students.
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Discussion on the results of the role-playing.
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8
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EXAM 1
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9
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History of fake news and polarization
Fake news game
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10
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Deep fake and bots
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Spot the troll game
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11
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Understanding causality and misleading graphs
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Calling Bullshit. Ch 1-3
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Selective attention for positive cases and conspiracy theories
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Calling Bullshit. Ch 4-5
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12
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Conspiracy theoriesand pseudoscience
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Pseudoscience: The conspiracy against science. Ch 3 and 11.
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Pseudoscience
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13
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Practical exercises and presentations
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Practical exercises and presentations
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14
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EXAM 2
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FINAL EXAM
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