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KCOE 4435 - Social influence, resilience and digital self-efficacy

KCOE 4435 · Semestre de printemps 2025-2026

Langue d'enseignement
English
Type d'enseignement
Cours séminaire
Nombre d'heures
12
Crédits
2

Informations

Descriptif

This six-session series aims to explore how psychological science can help communicators design

ethical, resilient, and evidence-based strategies in an age of misinformation, polarisation, and

AI-mediated influence. Drawing from social psychology, cognitive science, and communication

research, the course introduces students to the principles of persuasion and resistance to persuasion,

translating theory into practical tools for the modern communication landscape. The series integrates

insights from my recent work on inoculation theory, prebunking, and digital self-efficacy. Students will

gain both conceptual grounding and applied skills for designing communication that informs,

protects, and empowers citizens in the digital age.

Pré-requis

No specific prior knowledge required. Basic familiarity with social psychology or communication is helpful but not essential.

Format pédagogique

Short lectures, guided discussions, case study work, and interactive exercises. Students apply concepts directly through weekly readings, group debate, and practical analysis of real-world incidences of social influence.

Mode de validation

Evaluation is based on two components.

  • Active contribution to seminar discussions, demonstrating engagement with course readings and concepts (20%).
  • A case-study assignment based on short-term engagement with an AI-powered system (e.g. a social companion or generative communication product). Students submit a four-page analytical paper outlining key benefits, risks, and recommendations, supported by transcripts or excerpts from the interaction (80%).

Charge de travail

Weekly required readings, active participation, and preparation for the final project. Estimate: 3 hours independent work per week.

Lectures

Lectures principales 5

  1. 1Basol, M., Roozenbeek, J., Berriche, M., Uenal, F., McClanahan, W. P., & van der Linden, S. (2021). Towards psychological herd immunity: Cross-cultural evidence for two prebunking interventions against COVID-19 misinformation. Big Data & Society.

    Lire en ligne

  2. Basol, Melisa, 'Designing AI for humans: preventing manipulation and protecting digital agency' (13 Aug. 2025), in Sam De Silva, and others (eds), Expert Essentials

    Emprunter

  3. Ecker, U. K., Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Schmid, P., Fazio, L. K., Brashier, N., ... & Amazeen, M. A. (2022). The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(1), 13-29.

    Emprunter

  4. Kozyreva, et al. (2024). Toolbox of Interventions Against Online Misinformation and Manipulation. Nature Human Behavior.

    Lire en ligne

  5. van der Linden, S. (2022). Misinformation: susceptibility, spread, and interventions to immunize the public. Nature Medicine, 28, 460–467.

    Lire en ligne

Lectures secondaires 12

  1. Appel, R. E., Roozenbeek, J., Rayburn-Reeves, R., Basol, M., Corbin, J., Compton, J., & van der Linden, S. (2025). Psychological inoculation improves resilience to and reduces willingness to share vaccine misinformation. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 29830.

    Lire en ligne

  2. Axelsson, C.-A. W., Nygren, T., Roozenbeek, J., & van der Linden, S. (2025). Bad News in the civics classroom: How serious gameplay fosters teenagers’ ability to discern misinformation techniques. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 57(5), 992–1018.

  3. Carroll, M., Chan, A., Ashton, H., & Krueger, D. (2023, October). Characterizing manipulation from AI systems. In Proceedings of the 3rd ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (pp. 1-13).

    Lire en ligne

  4. Goldstein, J., et. al. (2023). Generative Language Models and Automated Influence Operations:Emerging Threats and Potential Mitigations. Stanford Internet Observatory. Read only: Sections 1-1.2, 3.1, 4-4.1.3

    Lire en ligne

  5. Hassoun et al. (2024). The Influencer Next Door: How Misinformation Creators Use GenAI. ArXiv, forthcoming New Media and Society

    Lire en ligne

  6. Klincewicz, M., Alfano, M., & Fard, A. E. (2025). Slopaganda: The interaction between propaganda and generative AI. arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.01560.

    Lire en ligne

  7. M. Sultan, A.N. Tump, N. Ehmann, P. Lorenz-Spreen, R. Hertwig, A. Gollwitzer, & R.H.J.M. Kurvers, Susceptibility to online misinformation: A systematic meta-analysis of demographic and psychological factors, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121 (47) e2409329121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2409329121 (2024).

  8. Milano, S., Taddeo, M. & Floridi, L. Recommender systems and their ethical challenges. AI & Soc 35, 957–967 (2020).

    Lire en ligne

  9. Pataranutaporn, P., Liu, R., Finn, E., & Maes, P. (2023). Influencing human–AI interaction by priming beliefs about AI can increase perceived trustworthiness, empathy and effectiveness. Nature Machine Intelligence, 5(10), 1076-1086.

    Emprunter

  10. Professional fact checks: Porter E, Wood TJ. (2021). The global effectiveness of fact-checking: Evidence from simultaneous experiments in Argentina, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.

    Lire en ligne

  11. Simchon, A., Zipori, T., Teitelbaum, L., Lewandowsky, S., & van der Linden, S. (2025). A Signal Detection Theory Meta-Analysis of Psychological Inoculation Against Misinformation. Current Opinion in Psychology, 102194.

    Lire en ligne

  12. Uscinski, J., et al. (2022). The psychological and political correlates of conspiracy theory beliefs. Sci Rep 12, 21672

    Lire en ligne

Unités pédagogiques

N° d'UPType d'UP Unités pédagogiquesEnseignants Nombre d'heuresCrédits
59004Cours séminaire Social influence, resilience and digital self-efficacy Melisa BASOL122

Enseignants

  • Melisa BASOL

Dans les maquettes

Contacts et ressources

Contact pédagogique
KOBBI Ahlème