Date: May 13th-15th
Venue: Sessions will take place in room 1.10 at the Jagiellonian University Welcome Centre https://maps.app.goo.gl/DMd6bGGeQbtF4dF78 
Contact: gabriela.czarnek@uj.edu.pl

WiFi access: You can use eduroam or join the UJ_WiFi network with the following credentials:

  • login: wifiuj6@uj.edu.pl
  • password: will be displayed on the whiteboard during the meeting

Goals

Polarization and misinformation are among the most pressing threats to democratic decision-making and collective action. They can also reinforce one another: polarized audiences might be more susceptible to misleading information that confirms their views, while misinformation might further deepen social and political divides. These dynamics might be especially pronounced during crises – such as natural disasters, pandemics, wars  – when uncertainty is high, reliable information is scarce, and the consequences of believing false or misleading claims can be particularly severe. 

Bringing together researchers from Jagiellonian University, MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and other European and Polish institutions will foster cross-disciplinary exchange on mechanisms, measurement, and interventions related to misinformation and polarization. The conference mission is catalyzing joint projects and evidence-based strategies for addressing these intertwined challenges in Europe and beyond.

Agenda

May 13th: Dinner at 7:00 pm
We have reserved spots for those who signed up at (please email Gabriela if you have questions about the dinner).

 

May 14th: Conference day

Venue
Sessions will take place in room 1.10 at the Jagiellonian University Welcome Centre
Ingardena 6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DMd6bGGeQbtF4dF78

Schedule

09:00 – 09:15 Opening
09:15 – 10:45 Session 1: (Un)biased Information Processing 
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30 Session 2: Understanding Misinformation 
12:30 – 13:15 Lunch
13:15 – 14:45 Session 3: Understanding and Countering Polarization
14:45 – 15:00 Coffee break
15:00 – 16:00 Keynote: David Rand (remote)
16:00 – 16:15 Coffee break
16:15 – 17:45 Session 4: The Promise and Threat of AI persuasion
17:45 – 18:00 Wrap-up
18:00 Reception

 

Speakers

Session 1: (Un)biased Information Processing

  • Michael Nick Stagnaro (MIT/Stanford University) – Mis-understanding Political Motivated Reasoning: The Illusion of Biased Factual Reasoning in Political Beliefs
  • Brian Guay (University of North Carolina) – Politically Motivated Reasoning and the Limits of Cognitive Flexibility
  • Maryna Kołeczek (Jagiellonian University) – Cognitive Underpinnings of Patriotism
  • Ezequiel Lopez-Lopez (Dresden University of Technology) – Boosting Metacognition in Entangled Human-AI Interaction to Navigate Cognitive-Behavioral Drift

Session 2: Understanding Misinformation

  • Adrian Dominik Wójcik (Nicolaus Copernicus University) – Delay Means Death: Measuring Public Support or Rejection of Climate Delay Discourse
  • Maria Lipińska (Koźmiński University) – The New Architecture of Health Disinformation: A Study of Influencer-Led Health Communication in the Dietary Supplement Market
  • Júlia Számely (Central European University) – Who Engages with Misinformation? Socio-Demographic and Behavioral Correlates from Linked Survey and Trace Data
  • Jakub Cacek (Jagiellonian University) – Cognitive Warfare and Instrumental Slavophilia

Session 3: Understanding and Countering Polarization

  • Katarzyna Jaśko (Jagiellonian University) – Perception of Social Norms
  • Kamil Fuławka (Dresden University of Technology) – Divisive Propaganda in Online Political Discourse
  • Erica Molinario (Jagiellonian University/Florida Gulf Coast University) – From Conspiracies to Insurgency: Understanding the Path from Conspiracy Beliefs to Violent Extremism
  • Marcin Bukowski (Jagiellonian University) – Inclusivity Norms to Counter Polarization

Keynote speaker:

  • David Rand (Cornell University) – The Power of Human-AI Dialogues to Change Strongly Held Beliefs

Session 4: The Promise and Threat of AI persuasion

  • Bao Truong (Dresden University of Technology) – Artificial Intelligence Can Reduce Political Polarization by Challenging Partisan Expectations
  • Josh White (MIT) – Popular Nonfiction Shifts Values and Partisan Attitudes—and AI Summaries are Just as Persuasive
  • Gabriela Czarnek (Jagiellonian University) – Understanding and Countering Climate Change Misbeliefs
  • Hause Lin (MIT/Cornell University) – Countering AI Persuasion: Building Resilience in Minds and Information Ecosystems

 

Abstracts available here.

 

May 15th: Optional unconference day

If the agenda feels packed and you’d like to meet other researchers for a more relaxed discussion, we would love to facilitate that! This could include, for example, a work-in-progress session, policy bridge discussion, or consortium building.

Please reach out to us and we can book a room for you. Just let us know:

  • What is the topic?
  • How many people are you expecting?
  • What are the preferred hours?