Dr. Matthew Facciani ’11 of the University of Notre Dame will present “The Psychology of Misinformation: How Our Social Worlds Shape What We Believe” at Westminster College’s annual Psychology and Neuroscience Colloquium at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Dietz Sullivan Lecture Hall in the College’s Hoyt Science Center.  

The lecture will examine why people are subject to believe in misinformation and how identities, social circles and psychology play a role. Facciani will share insights from his book, “Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads and What to Do About It,” which explores how social and psychological forces shape how we understand and interpret data. 

Facciani’s research focuses on why facts alone aren’t enough to inform society. He illustrates how tools, including media literacy and building trust, can help people make sense of today’s information overload. 

Facciani is a researcher at the University of Notre Dame and an interdisciplinary social scientist. While attending Westminster, he was a psychology major and later received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of South Carolina. He studies media literacy, misinformation, political polarization and artificial intelligence.  

“As a psychology major at Westminster, I was fascinated to learn how easily social influence can shape what we believe to be true. For example, in one class experiment, I saw how people often change their answers to a simple task after hearing someone else give the wrong response first,” said Facciani. “That early curiosity has guided my entire career, leading me to study how our identities and relationships shape the way we understand the world. Westminster’s student-centered approach gave me the confidence to pursue graduate school and the hands-on research experience I gained there provided the foundation I needed to succeed as a scientist." 

Facciani is a dedicated science communicator who uses his talents to make complex social science research accessible to the public. He has written for major outlets, spoken at national conferences and hosts “Misguided: The Podcast.” His goal is to connect scholarly insights with everyday discussions on truth and how we understand the media.  

The Psychology and Neuroscience Colloquium—established by two Westminster College psychology emeriti professors Dr. David B. Gray ’56 and Dr. Alan G. Gittis—allows Westminster to further immerse undergraduates in the rigorous fields of psychology and neuroscience. Selected speakers discuss the best emerging research and breakthroughs being done on a national level. Gray was a member of the Westminster faculty from 1965-2003, while Gittis served from 1976-2011. 

This event is free and open to the public. 

For more information about the colloquium, please contact Dr. Sherri Pataki, professor of psychology, at 724-946-7361 or patakisp@westminster.edu. 

For more about Westminster’s psychology program, please visit www.westminster.edu/psychology. 

More Stories