Ladies and gentlemen,

We invite you to come to the next QMP seminar for the closure of the course, on Thursday, 3 July at 10:30am in the Science Library «Eduard Boscà», Burjassot Campus of the UV.

Dr María Fernández-López, professor at the Department of Basic Psychology of the Universitat de València and researcher in psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology, will give an analysis of the consequences of fake news in contexts of great emotional distress such as natural catastrophes, social conflicts or polarised ideological debates.

Summary:

The fake news are not just mistakes or exaggerations, they are rhetorical weapons. Throughout this talk we’ll explore why we believe fake news, specially in contexts of great emotional distress such as natural catastrophes, social conflicts or polarised ideological debates. Using current examples —such as the hoaxes about the DANA in Valencia or the anti-woke discourse of social media— we’ll address the cognitive mechanisms that turn disinformation into such a persuasive tool: confirmation, heuristic, emotional processing or group identification biases. We’ll also analyse the particular case of the scientific hoaxes and their role in the reactionary speeches that erode the trust on science, with special attention to the role played by social media and digital identity for their dissemination. The conference will come to an end with practical strategies to detect disinformation and promote an informed critical thinking.

“Why do we believe fake news? Disinformation in crisis such as the DANA” María Fernández, The Conversation (11 November 2024).

María Fernández-López, PhD and professor at the Department of Basic Psychology of the Universitat de València and researcher in psycholinguistics and cognitive psychology. Her worked is focused on the study of the recognition of written words, utilising behavioural, electrophysiological and ocular tracking methodologies. During recent years, she has expanded her research to the processing of information in contexts of uncertainty, paying special attention to disinformation, fake news and their influence on public perception and decision-making. She combines experimental research with scientific dissemination, in which addresses how we think, what brings us to believe in hoaxes and how can we develop critical thinking on the digital era.

Location, date and time:

Thursday, 3 July. “Eduard Boscà” Science Library, Burjassot Campus of the UV.

At 10:30am we’ll provide a light breakfast open to the public, in the garden of the library.

The seminar will take place on the Assembly Hall of the Science Library, at 11:00am.

Join us!

QMP Seminars team (https://qmpseminars.com/)