DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY OF SCIENCE, TARAS SHEVCHENKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF KYIV

DEPARTMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, TARAS SHEVCHENKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF KYIV,

RTG SITUATED COGNITION BOCHUM-OSNABRUECK

invite you to join our workshop

Room 330

Volodymyrska Street 60

01033, Kyiv, Ukraine

Room 69/E15

Albrechtstraße 28A

49076, Osnabrueck, Germany

Online

Zoom: https://knu-ua.zoom.us/j/86878066695?pwd=N0hDTE5pZ2dOV21LOFpuN01POHM5QT09

Meeting ID: 868 7806 6695

Passcode: 133006

25 October 2023

13:00 – 18:00 (G - Germany)

14:00 – 19:00 (U - Ukraine)

Session 1

13:00 - 13:15 (G), 14:00 – 14:15 (U): Opening Remarks

13:15 - 13:50 (G), 14:15 - 14:50 (U)

Olena Komar Bad Beliefs and Social Polarization: How Language Contributes to Echo Chambers

13:50 - 14:25 (G), 14:50 - 15:25 (U)

Dmytro Iarovyi Resilience to Propaganda and Disinformation: How Critical We Are in Self-Assessment?

14:25 - 15:00 (G), 15:25 - 16:00 (U)

Tobias Kretschel and Daniele Valentini Using users’ votes to detect echo chambers in social media

15:00 - 15:30 (G), 16:00-16:30 (U): Coffee Break

Session 2

15:30 - 16:05 (G), 16:30 - 17:05 (U)

Rebecca Watzlawek Language in Echo Chambers – How Metaphors intensify Affective Phenomena

16:05 - 16:40 (G), 17:05 - 17:40 (U)

Illia Yahiiaiev Conspiracy Theories and Shared Worldviews: Differences in Russian Citizens' Beliefs Based on Their Attitudes Towards the Russia-Ukraine War

16:40 - 17:00 (G), 17:40-18:00 (U): Coffee Break

17:00 - 17:45 (G), 18:00 - 18:45 (U): Final Discussion and Q&A Panel

17:45 - 18:00 (G), 18:45 - 19:00 (U): Closing Remarks

Dmytro Iarovyi is an Associate Professor at Kyiv School of Economics (Ukraine) and Assistant Professor at the Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), PhD in Political Psychology

Olena Komar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Methodology of Science at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a fellow at RTG Situated Cognition, and a research fellow at the University of Osnabrück, PhD in Philosophy

Tobias Kretschel is a Cognitive Science student pursuing his master's degree at the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany

Daniele Valentini is a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrück University. He is also an Associated Ph.D. at RTG Situated Cognition

Illia Yahiiaiev is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, PhD in Psychology

Rebecca Watzlawek is a Cognitive Scientist pursuing her master’s degree at the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany, and Coordination Assistant at RTG 'Situated Cognition'

The final discussion with Prof. Dr. Nikola Kompa, Prof. Dr. Achim Stephan

Theme

Climate change denial, the anti-vax movement, Pizza Gate, and political propaganda — what unites these seemingly disparate phenomena?

They are related to inappropriately formed, unfounded beliefs that contradict available evidence and expert consensus. In essence, they are manifestations of what we refer to as "bad beliefs." Some of these bad beliefs are persistent, proving resistant to revision, and expressed by a group of like-minded people.

Within such groups, an echo chamber effect takes hold, amplifying these beliefs and creating a resonance that binds the group together while isolating them from opposing viewpoints.

Propaganda perfectly manipulates the echo chamber effect, leading to extreme social polarization. In this workshop, our aim is to delve into the language of propaganda, and explore whether specific language is a means of polarization and a mechanism for creating an echo chamber or simply a symptom and result of polarization.

We will also discuss the issue of the persistence of bad beliefs and the selective effect of propaganda from both philosophical and psychological perspectives.

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