Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 October 2025
Chapter 6 presents a discussion of how one might go about changing the minds of others (and even one’s own). This broad discussion reiterates messages from Chapter 4 in the context of engaging misinformation and reconstructing knowledge. The topic of ‘debunking’ is introduced and how using it to change people’s minds is perhaps more difficult than simply advising others of their ‘mistakes’ (e.g. with respect to the backfire effect), depending on the nature of the belief and the individual’s attachment to it. Persuasion techniques are also discussed, as is how people can ‘change their own minds’ and how we often rationalise poor thinking.
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