Inoculation theory & misinformation: research overview

Jon Roozenbeek | Department of Slavonic Studies & Department of Psychology | jjr51@cam.ac.uk

We’re dealing with a complex problem…

• Part of the success of misinformation campaigns is explained by automated activity, but not all!

• False stories are hugely popular, particularly in polarised societies.

• Fact-checking is slow and can even have adverse effects.

• Some vulnerable groups are unlikely to see the inside of a classroom any time soon.

• Existing detection/moderation algorithms are kind of bad and unable to keep up with evolving
misinformation strategies.

• Fundamental question: how do you prevent misinformation from being persuasive in the first
place?

• Psychological interventions against misinformation are rare & often not evidence-based!
Inoculation Theory

• Pre-emptive resistance against unwanted persuasion.

• Idea: pre-emptively exposing people to a weakened version of a misleading argument

triggers a cognitive process by which a person reasons their way through why they find the
argument unpersuasive.

• When this person is exposed to the “real” deceptive argument, they already have the cognitive
tools available to refute it, as opposed to having to come up with arguments on the spot.

• Usually applied to specific topics (e.g. climate change).

• BUT: can general “immunity” be conferred against misinformation in the real world?
Bad News: a psychological vaccine against fake news
Bad News: strategies
Research
Results
Results (2)
Summary: research at Cambridge University

• How can technological innovations such as gamification be used to combat online

misinformation?

• Key contribution: extending inoculation theory; a “broad-spectrum vaccine” against

misinformation!

• Future/ongoing research:

• What is the effect of social information and sharing behaviour on the inoculation effect?

• How does an “active” compare to a “passive” anti-misinformation intervention?

• How can the gamified inoculation framework be applied in different domains (e.g.
radicalisation, misinformation about vaccinations)?
 Thank you!

Jon Roozenbeek
jjr51@cam.ac.uk