PhD student’s research on misinformation featured in APA 2023 Trends Report

Victoria Johnson— a PhD student in the psychological foundations of education program in the Department of Educational Psychology and a researcher in the Reading + Learning Lab— was featured in an American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) 2023 Trends Report for her research on who’s more likely to believe misinformation and why.

“The results show that vaccine mistrust is not a conservative-only issue,” Johnson shared with the APA. “There are definitely liberals who aren’t considering science above all other sources, as well.”

Johnson also noted “researchers need to better understand subgroups of people and how their reactions to misinformation differ.”

Johnson conducted the research with her advisor Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Guy Bond Chair in Reading Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou. The two first presented their paper, now under review, at the 2022 APA Annual Convention.