5 Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies

WEEK 5: COGNITIVE BIASES & LOGICAL FALLACIES
Overview:

So far our training as media literacy influencers and educators has included concepts in how to identify misinformation, how to evaluate/fact check information, and how algorithms affect the information we’re served in search results and social media. This week we’ll investigate one of the most pervasive and difficult challenges before us in helping our community deal with misinformation, our own minds. This area of study provides a wealth of opportunity for further research, so keep that in mind as you explore. It will take up to 6 hours to complete all of the assignments in this module.

Objectives:

1. Identify some of the many ways our own ways of thinking work against us in relation to misinformation.
2. Compare resources to broaden our understanding of bias and misinformation.
3. Integrate these ideas with those we previously explored.
4. Consider the potential of these topics for our work as media literacy educators and influencers as well as for your future research.

Activities: 

Part 1 of 4, MEDIA & PERSONAL BIASES:

1. (60 minutes) Media Biases: Go to our Checkology course and log in. Complete the Understanding Bias module. Remember that Beth receives copies of your responses to Checkology activities. Then respond to the following questions:

• • • Using the information you learned in the modules, how would you respond to someone who says “All media is biased.”?
    • How do our personal biases affect our perceptions of bias in news reporting?

2. (30 minutes) Personal Biases: Watch the video Why Do So Many People Share and Believe Fake News?, then respond to the following questions:

• • • The video provides quite a few ways our own thinking fails us; name 3 of them:
    • Do you think most people are aware of these failings? Why/why not?
    • How might awareness of our biases help us avoid misinformation?

Part 2 of 4, MENTAL SHORTCUTS & BAD HABITS – 2 Reading Responses:

(1 hour, 30 minutes)  Read the following articles on the mental shortcuts and bad habits we have online that contribute to our vulnerability to misinformation. Then respond to the questions below each citation.

Cherry, K. (11 April 2021). Heuristics and cognitive biases. Very Well Mind.

• • • How would you describe heuristics to a friend or family member?
    • How are the concepts in this article connected to the videos we watched in the previous section?

Tsipursky, G. (14 Nov 2014). Autopilot vs. Intentional Thinking. Intentional Insights.

• • • What’s the relationship between this article and the previous articles?
    • What does the author mean when he refers to “learning how to be intentional about using your rider to guide your elephant”?
    • How might we help people “retrain their elephant” in relation to our project objectives?

Part 3 of 4, REVIEW THE DISINFORMATION DEBUNKING GUIDE

(1 hour, 30 minutes) Go to the Disinformation Debunking guide, and click on the Why We Fall for It tab. Watch the video on that page, Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News?, then answer the following questions:

• • • How is the information presented in these videos the same as in the Why Do So Many People… video you watched earlier? How is it different?
    • Now do a search to see what other useful materials you can find on psychological, social and/or algorithmic biases and disinformation. List at least 2 below with links, a brief description, and how we might use them in our research, teaching or social media posts.

Part 4 of 4,  CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA POST

(60 minutes) Choose one of the following:

• Create a short reel (60 seconds or less) for Instagram or Facebook related to what you’ve learned this week. Submit a link to the reel rather than the reel itself.
• OR write a brief blog post (1-2 paragraphs) to help your peers better understand the issues we learned about this week. Include an image to be used with the post.
• OR create a series of 3 posts with images and wording for Facebook or Instagram. Include the hashtag #DisinfoSquad in your creation.

PRO TIPS:
– Include captioning on reels that have no type.
– Link to one of the resources you’ve used in the course or on the Disinfo Debunking guide