Student chat

Your Ability to Detect Misinformation

Privacy Notice: Student names have been replaced with pseudonyms to protect privacy. The audio is AI-generated narration, not the students’ voices. Emoji reactions are illustrative. Plain transcript.

01Chat transcript

Guide

👋 Welcome, everyone!

Our topic is your ability to detect misinformation. We'll be discussing this statement:

While other people might be easily influenced by misinformation, I am confident in my own ability to evaluate information accurately.

Brianna agrees with the statement.
Jessica disagrees with the statement.

My name is Guide, and I'm here to support your discussion. If you need anything, start your message with "Hey Guide" 🤓

Brianna

Hey Jessica, why do you not feel confident in your ability to evaluate information accurately?

Jessica

Since this topic is more of a personal opinion, I view my skills in evaluating information on the lower side, so I disagree, as I'm not confident. I have learned skills to evaluate information from media to a research paper to find credibility and avoid fallacies. However, often times I see myself falling for or being influenced by misinformation and sometimes sharing that misinformation without knowing. I think how I view myself is similar to the Dunning-Kruger effect, where I have moderate expertise and experience in evaluating information accurately, but feel less confident in my abilities. In addition, if I hear information that is easy to absorb or simply makes sense, I tend to believe it without fact-checking.

Jessica

Also, I am less confident as I am a victim of the illusory effect of repetition. An example was during high school, when my classmates were spreading news about the Marvel Endgame movie. I am not a big follower of DC or Marvel, so I believed the news my classmates were spreading as true, as they had watched the movie, and so many were sharing the same fact. Spoiler not spoiler, I believed them when they said Aquaman died in Endgame. I believed this fact until the end of the school day, as when I told my friend about this new information, I learned that this was false news. Although this example might lean more towards trolling than misinformation, it doesn't change the fact that I chose to believe this false claim as truth without fact-checking before I shared. Despite having the skills to evaluate information through a quick Google search, I fell victim to misinformation more times than I'm proud of, which is why I am not confident in my abilities.

Jessica

How about you? Why are you confident in your abilities? And despite your confidence in your abilities, are you sometimes influenced by misinformation or not at all?

Brianna

Yes, I totally have been in a scenario where I have fallen victim to misinformation when I dont have much knowledge. With that though, I still feel confident in my abilities to evaluate for myself later. Especially in a group settings I think very thoroughly before I speak and really take in what others have to say.

Guide

Brianna, can you say more about what makes you confident despite acknowledging you've fallen victim to misinformation?

You mention evaluating "for yourself later" and thinking thoroughly in group settings. But Jessica described a similar pattern — she has skills to fact-check but often doesn't use them in the moment, which undermines her confidence.

What's the difference between your situation and Jessica's? Is it just that you're more forgiving of yourself for these lapses, or do you think there's something fundamentally different about how susceptible you are to misinformation compared to others?

Brianna

I also want to point out the difference in being influenced by misinformation compared to just taking it in. I actually think consuming misinformation could be helpful especially when forming your own thoughts. While it is inaccurate it could help you to build your own thoughts and even cement your side of an argument. I feel like this may be why I am confident in my abilities because I am placing a difference on being able to decipher what is misinformation and being influenced by it.

Jessica

What does it mean to be influenced by misinformation? Does it just mean to fall victim to misinformation, or is there something more?

Jessica

When I think of being influenced by misinformation, I just think of people sharing false information that can potentially be dangerous to themselves and others.

Brianna

Yes being influenced, to me is equivalent to falling victim. In other words being influenced is acting on or with misinformation. So that could be sharing it, that could be letting it lead you away from your original thoughts. But it's one thing to consume, it's another to let it influence.

Brianna

I believe we both agree in the heat of the moment you may not be able to identify misinformation as it is. But if you feel the need to revisit it, that should lead to strengthen your confidence in evaluating it. It shows that you heard, read, or saw something that wasn't quite right and allowed you to dig deeper. This can eventually lead to being able to identify it within the heat of the moment.

Guide

Jessica, how do you respond to Brianna's distinction between consuming misinformation and being influenced by it?

You shared the Aquaman example where you believed and shared false information — which by Brianna's definition means you were influenced, not just exposed. But Brianna seems confident she can consume misinformation without acting on it.

Do you think that distinction holds up? Or is the line between "consuming" and "being influenced" harder to draw than Brianna suggests?

Jessica

I think there is no hard line between "consuming" and "being influenced" by misinformation. Because sometimes you don't catch misinformation right away or even if a long time pass. Because sometimes we don't always go back and revaluate information we hear especially if it's misinformation that doesn't sound false or hasn't violated prior information we know to be true. What caught my attention in the book Age of Magical Overthinking, repetition help information digestion so when hearing information repeatedly a person can misinterprete the information as truth, "fluency as accuracy." Familiarity of what we know to be true can hinder our abilities to discern misinformation, until something triggers a response that signals "hey this sounds wrong," we won't actually go back and rethink information.

Brianna

so you're say we are still influenced by misinformation if we hear it multiple times?

Jessica

I think the book interpreted as if you hear misinformation enough at one point it might feel familiar and sound credible .

Guide

Brianna, does Jessica's point challenge your confidence at all?

She's suggesting that repetition can make misinformation feel true without us realizing it — we might not even know we need to "revisit" it because it never triggers our skepticism.

If that's right, how would you know whether you're just "consuming" misinformation versus actually being influenced by it without realizing?

Brianna

I guess this does challenge my confidence a little. But in a way I feel like if is talked about more that gives more opportunity to rethink and adjust. I get that repetition creates a feeling of truth but it could also bring about more skepticism.

Jessica

I agree if information is repeated enough maybe at some point someone would question it and rethink the information if its true or not. But if we can be influence by misinformation without being aware of it how can we catch it if it doesn't trigger any signals of skepticism. Like how can you catch misinformation if you don't know that it is?

Brianna

Yes, I totally get that can be hard. I guess for me now with everything I'm always skeptical on if it's real or fake and so I assume it's misinformation until otherwise proven.

Guide

Jessica, what do you make of Brianna's approach — assuming everything is misinformation until proven otherwise?

Does that strategy actually solve the problem you raised, or does it just shift the burden? If you're constantly skeptical of everything, how do you decide what's worth fact-checking and what to accept?

Jessica

I think Brianna's approach to assume information as false until proven otherwise is valid strategy against misinformation and being misled. But it does raise the question what information is worth checking. Because realistically you can't or more like you won't fact check everything you might hear, as you hear a lot of information daily. Therefore, Brianna's approach on misinformation might not be very realistic to the everyday/daily information. So how do you select which information to be skeptical about if it doesn't doesn't trigger any warning signs. Or in your case Brianna, if you treat all information with skepticism until proven otherwise what is your selective process to choose what information to fact check over the rest.

Jessica

or do you fact checking every information you hear?

Brianna

I don't fact check all information I'm given. I guess if it doesn't raise particularly any concern i'll fact check if I am interested, so there is some bias there.

Jessica

I know that you have to fact check a lot of political and medical information for instance. But how about information that are more interesting comments or stories like, "smelly peasants are the reason bridal bouquets exist" because they rarely bathe or information about a movie you haven't seen for instance. Would you fact-check or look further into these examples or would you ignore this kind of information as their is no real interest or value. As these one off misinformation aren't as dangerous as misinformation of politics or medicine.

Brianna

I would fact check information like that because it sparks curiosity. For movies if it's some sort of spoiler I will not look into it until I see the movie for myself because if it's not true I want to leave what actually happens a mystery until I see it.

Jessica

That is interesting. If curiosity helps guide or dictates your decision to fact check information and dig deeper for verification. How about facts that are uninteresting and less dramatic but also false. I can't name some on top of my head, maybe like goldfish having 3 second memory (common myth heard). But would uninteresting false information slip through your radar.👍

Brianna

Honestly probably, I guess when I answered the question I was making a clear distinction between being influenced and being able to tell what misinformation is. I see now there isn't really a clear different as you said!

02Understanding quiz

Sway asks each student five questions about what their partner argued. These are the answers they gave.

Jessicadisagrees

Understanding Quiz

5 questions about what Brianna argued.

When you asked Brianna why she remains confident after falling for misinformation, what distinction did Brianna emphasize in her response?

She said shes better at group discussions than individual research.
She distinguished between consuming misinformation and being influenced by it.
She claimed she never shares misinformation she encounters.
She focused on developing trust in primary sources.

correct

According to Brianna's definition later in the conversation, what does being "influenced" by misinformation mean?

Simply reading or hearing the false information.
Accepting misinformation as something interesting to consider.
Acting on or sharing misinformation and letting it change your thoughts.
Remembering misinformation without verifying its accuracy.

correct

How did Brianna respond when the Guide suggested that repetition might make misinformation feel true and undermine confidence?

She argued that repetition actually increases opportunities for skepticism and rethinking.
She asserted that repetition has no effect on detecting misinformation.
She admitted she would avoid any repeated information going forward.
She said that repeating misinformation makes her more likely to believe it.

correct

Later in the exchange, when Jessica asked how Brianna decides what misinformation to fact-check, what did Brianna admit about her approach?

She copies fact-checks from her peers instead of doing it herself.
She fact-checks only the information that sparks her curiosity or raises concern.
She immediately fact-checks political and medical claims only.
She fact-checks every piece of information she hears.

correct

What key assumption did the Guide challenge Brianna to examine when asking about the difference between her approach and Jessica's?

That Brianna is inherently less susceptible to misinformation than Jessica.
That group discussions are safer than individual evaluation.
That forgiving oneself for mistakes is enough to maintain confidence.
That all information must be assumed false until proven otherwise.

correct

5 of 5 correct Next

Briannaagrees

Understanding Quiz

5 questions about what Jessica argued.

At the beginning of the discussion, Jessica used her high school example about believing Aquaman died in "Endgame" to illustrate which cognitive bias?

Dunning-Kruger effect
Illusory truth effect
Confirmation bias
Availability heuristic

correct

When Brianna distinguished between consuming misinformation and being influenced by it, how did Jessica respond?

She agreed it's a clear boundary where one can consume misinformation harmlessly.
She argued there is no hard line because repeated exposure can make misinformation feel true without us realizing.
She claimed that a person is only influenced when they actively share misinformation.
She stated that consuming misinformation always poses no risk if one doesn't act on it.

correct

Later in the discussion, how did Jessica challenge Brianna's strategy of assuming all information is false until proven otherwise?

She argued the approach is valid but unrealistic to fact-check all the information encountered daily.
She warned that such skepticism could erode trust in credible sources over time.
She suggested that constant doubt slows down decision-making in real-time discussions.
She indicated that it could lead people to ignore more serious topics if everything is treated with suspicion.

correct

The Guide asked Jessica to reflect on Brianna's approach of assuming information is false until proven otherwise. What specific concern did the Guide raise?

That constant skepticism might simply shift the burden without guiding which information to check.
That assuming falsity could undermine collaborative discussion by eroding trust.
That it ignores the role of contextual cues in evaluating information credibility.
That it could discourage spontaneous idea sharing and creative thinking.

correct

At the end of the discussion, which uninteresting myth did Jessica mention to illustrate false information that might slip through unnoticed?

Goldfish have a 3-second memory
Aquaman dies in "Endgame"
Smelly peasants are the reason bridal bouquets exist
A DC character crossover spoiler

correct

5 of 5 correct Next

03Post-chat survey

Last, both students rate the statement again and then rate a randomly sampled subset of our post-chat survey items. Like their transcripts, individual student opinions are never revealed to instructors.

Jessicadisagrees

Now you’ve had a chance to discuss the topic, rate your level of agreement with the original statement again.

Remember, all responses to Sway surveys are private and never shown to your instructor.

While other people might be easily influenced by misinformation, I am confident in my own ability to evaluate information accurately.

Strongly disagree	Moderately disagree	Slightly disagree	No idea	Slightly agree	Moderately agree	Strongly agree

How much do you agree with each of these?

Statement	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Guide treated me and my partner with equal respect
I felt comfortable sharing my honest opinions with my partner
It was valuable to chat with a student who did NOT share my perspective
It would be good if more students and classes used Sway
This discussion led me to change my mind about something related to the topic
The skills I practiced in this chat will be useful in my conversations outside of Sway

Submit

Briannaagrees

Now you’ve had a chance to discuss the topic, rate your level of agreement with the original statement again.

Remember, all responses to Sway surveys are private and never shown to your instructor.

While other people might be easily influenced by misinformation, I am confident in my own ability to evaluate information accurately.

Strongly disagree	Moderately disagree	Slightly disagree	No idea	Slightly agree	Moderately agree	Strongly agree

How much do you agree with each of these?

Statement	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
I was not offended by my partner's perspective
My partner was genuinely trying to understand my perspective
This discussion improved my perception of my partner
It would be good if more students and classes used Sway
This discussion led me to change my mind about something related to the topic
The skills I practiced in this chat will be useful in my conversations outside of Sway

Submit

Opinion change

Jessicadisagrees

—

Briannaagrees

-2

before the chat after the chat both, unchanged Seven points, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Both students rated the statement before the chat and again after the quiz.

Your Ability to Detect Misinformation

01Chat transcript

02Understanding quiz

03Post-chat survey

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