Margarida Garrido interviewed by Ordem dos Psicólogos

Margarida Vaz Garrido, a researcher and the current director of CIS-Iscte, was recently interviewed by the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses for issue no. 37 of the magazine PSIS21, which is dedicated to the theme “Polarization, Democracy, and Mental Health.”

The interview, titled “Disinformation: The Role of Psychology and Emotions,” focused on the research Margarida Garrido has been conducting on the influence of cognitive and emotional factors on the spread of disinformation.

“Misinformation arises from the interplay of individual, social, and digital factors, exploiting cognitive biases, motivated reasoning, emotions, or a sense of group belonging that lead people to seek confirmation rather than the truth.” - Margarida Garrido

In addition to the individual and contextual factors that help explain the spread of false information, the researcher also discussed the strategies that have been tested to combat misinformation and how these can inform psychological practice.

Read the interview (in Portuguese) at: https://online.fliphtml5.com/PSIS21/n37polarizacao/#p=32