Acclaimed cognitive scientist Professor Stephan Lewandowsky will argue in an open lecture at the University that ‘fake news’ can be countered by a combination of psychology and technology.
Delivering the University’s School of Psychology Annual Lecture on 25 September, Professor Lewandowsky will explore the implications of what he describes as the ‘growing abundance of misinformation’ in the public sphere, how it influences people and how to counter it.
He will argue that misinformation in the post-truth era can no longer be considered a localised ‘error’ that can be corrected with appropriate communication tools.
Instead, Professor Lewandowsky will suggest that responses to the post-truth era must include ‘technological solutions that incorporate psychological principles’, an approach that he describes as ‘technocognition’.
Professor Lewandowsky is Chair in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol and Royal Society Wolfson Research Fellow.
The School of Psychology Annual Lecture will take place at 18.00 in Keynes Lecture Theatre 1 at the University’s Canterbury campus. It is free and open to all but registration is required by emailing George Oatridge.