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About the Keynote Presentation: The spread of misinformation online has become a growing societal concern. This talk will start with an overview of the psychological processes behind why we believe and share information, as well as how these processes make us all vulnerable to misinformation. The talk will then turn to new research on how individuals can respond when others share misinformation online. Corrective messaging is a commonly proposed strategy; however, individuals may be hesitant to directly correct their peers or lack the fact-checking resources to do so. Our group has been testing the effectiveness of an alternative approach: responding to posts containing false information with “truth queries” — questions that draw attention to truth or the criteria used to assess truth. Examples of truth queries include “Where did you learn this?,” “How do you know that is true?,” and “Do other people believe this?” We find that the presence of these types of replies consistently reduces other users’ belief in and intent to share posts containing false information. This suggests the usefulness of truth queries as a simple, flexible, user-driven approach to addressing online misinformation.

For more information about PsychFest 2023, please consult with your faculty research mentor. You may also contact a member of the PsychFest Committee:

• Brianna Delker
• Marísa Fernandez
• Ruth Hackler
• Josh Kaplan
• Kristi Lemm
• Mike Mana
• David Sattler
• Christie Scollon
• Larry Symons

We are grateful to the PsychFest 2023 Sponsors!

• Dean's Office, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Western Associated Students Bookstore
• Center for Cross-Cultural Research

Past PsychFest Keynote Speakers

2022 - Dr. Chantel Prat, University of Washington. Title: Peer Interactions in the Digital World

2021 - Dr. Kristina Olson, Princeton University. Title: Gender Diversity in Childhood

2020 - Dr. Brian Nosek, University of Virginia. Title: Shifting Incentives from Getting it Published to Getting it Right

2019 - Dr. Amori Mikami, University of British Columbia. Title: Peer Interactions in the Digital World

2018 - Dr. Melissa Tehee, Utah State University. Title: Understanding and Addressing Trauma in a Cultural Framework

2017 – Dr. Jessica Tracy, University of British Columbia. Area: Social/Personality. Title: The Nature of Pride: The Emotional Origins of Social Rank

2016 – Dr. Ryan Reese, Oregon State University, Cascades. Area: Counseling. Title: From Western to Faculty Member:  Key Learnings on Becoming a Researcher-Practitioner 

2015 – Dr. Andrea Stocco, University of Washington. Area: Cognitive/Neuropsychology. Title: Manipulation and Representation of Symbolic Knowledge in the Human Brain

2014 – Dr. Kevin Haggerty, University of Washington. Area: Developmental/Clinical. Title: Power of Family to Promote Well Being: Results from the Family Connection Studies

2013 – Dr. Izabella Schultz, University of British Columbia. Area: Clinical. Title: Mental Disorders and Work

2012 – Dr. Eric Eich, University of British Columbia. Area: Cognitive/Neuropsychology. Title: Remembering the Personal Past from Field and Observer Perspectives

2011 – Dr. Edith Chen, University of British Columbia. Area: Health/Developmental/Neuropsychology. Title: Psychobiological Pathways linking SES to Childhood Asthma

2010 – Dr. Cheryl Kaiser, University of Washington. Area: Social/Cross-cultural. Title: Group Identity and Experiencing Discrimination

2009 – Dr. Ross Thompson, University of California, Davis. Area: Developmental. Title: Parent-Child Conversation and Psychological Understanding