Field
Political Science
Project Description
This project seeks to understand the downstream effects of misinformation correction activities on affective polarization and willingness to engage in civil dialogue on divisive topics. I will create and test a novel, AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot. Some participants will be randomly selected to interact with a prompt designed to decrease political identity salience, and all will work through three lessons that teach them how to identify misinformation. The findings from this project will not only help craft more effective interventions for correcting misinformation but will also extend our understanding of how identity influences the way individuals process information and the downstream effects on measures of kindness. I predict that this willingness extends beyond information and to individuals themselves—that these activities will also increase warmth toward and desire to talk to individuals with opposing views.
Team
Rachel Berwald, Blair Graeme
Rachel Berwald is a PhD candidate in Political Science, focusing on comparative politics and political communication in Latin America. Her research aims to understand how political identity influences the way people process both factual information and misinformation and how misinformation corrections can be made more effective. Her projects and papers can be found on her website: www.rachelberwald.com.