Dr Andreas Kappes, lecturer, City, University of London Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. #CCSOCIALSCIENCE
With:
Dr Andreas Kappes
(City, University of London)
@ankappes
Andreas.Kappes@city.ac.uk
THE SCIENCE BEHIND FAKE NEWS AND
MISINFORMATION

3. ROADMAP
1. Why Valence Matters, and Facts Not
– Understanding the different brain modes of processing
confirming and disconfirming evidence
2. Crossing the Rubicon: When Valence Matters, and When
Facts
– Understanding when beliefs become loaded with
valence
3. Where Does Valence Come From: Why Do we Have Beliefs?
– Understanding the functions of beliefs in daily life and
how to use them
4. Beware of What People are Saying
– What not to do when trying to understand the reasons for
false beliefs

5. What are you?

6. WHY SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?

7. WHY VALENCE MATTERS
(AND FACTS NOT)
Kappes et al., 2020, Nature Neuroscience

9. +
2 sec
2 sec
1-3 sec
2 sec
2 sec
4 sec
$1.000.000?
Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Investment
50
Your
Investment
40
Final
Investment
45

10. 2 sec
2 sec
2 sec
2 sec
4 sec
$1.000.000?
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Investment
50
Your
Investment
40
+
1-3 sec Final
Investment
45
Agreement
Your Judgment

11. 2 sec
2 sec
2 sec
4 sec
$1.000.000?
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Investment
50
Your
Investment
40
+
1-3 sec Final
Investment
45
Agreement
Your Judgment

13. 2 sec
2 sec
2 sec
4 sec
$1.000.000?
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Investment
50
Your
Investment
40
+
1-3 sec Final
Investment
35
Disagreement
Your Judgment

14. ChangeinWager
(2ndWager–1stWager)
A
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Partner confirms
judgment
Partner disconfirms
judgment
No information
provided
Confirming
opinion
Disconfirming
opinion
No opinion
provided
*
ns
*

15. 2 sec
2 sec
2 sec
4 sec
$1.000.000?
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Partner’s
Investment
50
Your
Investment
40
+
1-3 sec Final
Investment
40
XXXXXXX
Your Judgment

16. ChangeinWager
(2ndWager–1stWager)
A
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Partner confirms
judgment
Partner disconfirms
judgment
No information
provided
ns
Confirming
opinion
Disconfirming
opinion
No opinion
provided
*
ns
*

17. ChangeinWager
(2ndWager–1stWager)
A
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Partner confirms
judgment
Partner disconfirms
judgment
No information
provided
ns
Confirming
opinion
Disconfirming
opinion
No opinion
provided
*
ns
*

19. Agree
Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment

20. Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Agree
Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment

21. Partner’s
Wager
Final
Wager
Partner’s
Wager
Final
Wager
Agree
Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment
Your Judgment
Partner’s
Judgment

24. Kappes & Sharot, The Conversation, 2020

25. Horne et al., 2015, PNAS

26. Kappes & Sharot, The Conversation, 2020

28. (Kaminska, 2017)
Octavius
Mark Antony loves Cleopatra more than Rome. Beware of
the snakes in the grass. #realtalk #RomeOverEgypt

29. CROSSING THE RUBICON:
WHEN VALENCE MATTERS
(AND WHEN NOT)
Kappes et al., 2018, Psychological Science

30. CROSSING THE RUBICON

31. 0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Stranger
Bias

32. The stranger is Lauren, a
33-year old female
American.

33. 0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Stranger
Bias
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Bias
Identifiable
Stranger

34. 0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Stranger
Bias
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Bias
Identifiable
Stranger
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
Self
Bias

36. Kahane et al., 2013

39. WHERE DOES VALENCE COME FROM:
WHY DO WE HAVE BELIEFS?

40. • √
Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000

41. Korn et al., 2014

45. Kruglanski et al., 2015
Function
Belief Belief

46. BEWARE OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

48. Zajonc, 1980

49. MOTIVATED REASONING

50. (Kappes & Sharot, 2018)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Good
News
Bad
News
Good
News
Bad
News
Cognitive Load No Load
LearningRate
* *
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BLOCK REASONING?

51. POST – HOC RATIONALISATION
Haidt, 2001

53. IN A NUTSHELL
1. Prevent the crossing of the Rubicon so that
valence doesn’t matter
2. Find common ground and don’t be cocky
3. Identify the functions of beliefs and replace
those with new beliefs
4. Reason is not the enemy
5. Emotions are key for immunization

54. THANK YOU