Why We Don't Fact-Check: Psychological Barriers | American Together скачать в хорошем качестве

Why We Don't Fact-Check: Psychological Barriers | American Together

Why don’t we fact-check—especially when a headline feels right? In this first episode of the Truth Check series, we explore the psychological barriers that quietly shape how we interpret information—and why even smart, well-meaning people sometimes reject the facts. From cognitive dissonance to confirmation bias to overconfidence bias, we’ll look at how our brains are wired for comfort and familiarity more than truth—and what we can do to change that. ☝️ Truth Check: Once we recognize these mental habits, we can start replacing reaction with reflection. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn how to … • Recognize the discomfort of cognitive dissonance — and what it signals. • Spot confirmation bias in your own scrolling habits. • Understand why overconfidence bias makes misinformation feel obvious to others—but not to us. • Use reflection tools (like Harvard’s Implicit Bias Test and the Cognitive Reflection Test) to see how your own mind works. Full sources + free downloadable PDF: https://american-together.com/episode... 💬 Join the Conversation 💬 Have you ever realized you believed something that wasn’t true? What helped you see it differently? Or did something in today’s episode make you rethink your own thought patterns? Share your story in the comments—I’ll be reading! 🧭 Practice Challenge 🧭 Pick one quiz (linked below) from today’s episode — the one that felt most uncomfortable — and take it. Notice your reactions as you go, then come back and tell us what you noticed. ⏸️ Community Note ⏸️ This space isn’t about forcing agreement. It’s about reflection and respect. Disagree? Great—explain why. Have a different angle? Share it. Here, differences are strengths, not weapons. 🛠 3 Ps in Action: Comment Edition (clickable) 🛠 https://american-together.com/3-ps-in... Need a little extra help shaping your reply? This quick guide uses the same 3 Ps process I use myself: Pause, Pinpoint Truth, Proceed with Purposeful Forethought. 📝 Survey Challenges 📝 Try these short activities for yourself: Harvard Implicit Bias Test (also known as the Implicit Association Test—IAT): https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ News Literacy Project (Checkology quiz. You’ll need to sign in or register — free — to access.): https://get.checkology.org/ Cognitive Reflection Test (classic 3-question version, direct link to test): https://psytests.org/iq/crtfen.html 📖 Chapters 📖 00:00 – Why We Share Without Thinking 01:07 – Why We Resist New Information 02:40 – Cognitive Dissonance 04:35 – Confirmation Bias 06:34 – Overconfidence Bias & the Dunning-Kruger Effect 09:40 – A Personal Story: The Obama Portrait Post 13:53 – Reflection, Join the Conversation & Practice Challenge 16:18 – Sources & Closing 🔎 Core Sources (clickable) 🔎 1. Festinger (1957) — “A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance” — https://books.google.com/books/about/... 2. Frederick (2005) — “Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making” — https://doi.org/10.1257/0895330057751... 3. Kruger & Dunning (1999) — “Unskilled and Unaware of It” — https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.... 4. McCurdy (2022) — “President Barack Obama (White House Historical Association)” — https://www.whitehousehistory.org/pho... 5. News Literacy Project (n.d.) — “News Literacy Quiz” — https://newslit.org/ 6. Nickerson (1998) — “Confirmation Bias” — https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.2... 7. Project Implicit (n.d.) — “Implicit Association Test (IAT)” — https://implicit.harvard.edu/ (Full APA-formatted citations are in the PDF linked above.) — Further Resources — News Literacy Project • Media Bias/Fact Check • Stanford Civic Online Reasoning • APA Psychology Topics #AmericanTogether #TruthCheck #FactChecking #Psychology