Who writes fake news and why?

BREAKING: Clinton Foundation Ship Seized at Port of Baltimore Carrying Drugs, Guns and Sex Slaves

Seriously?

Fake news is a combination of the psychology of persuasion (how to design a message people will buy by carefully thinking about the audience, message source and content). It is also a striking example of the power of social identity – people often much prefer and share stories which bash the ‘other’ and loudly protest when their own are smeared.

But where does fake news come from? And why do people write it? I read a super article on bbc news today (which, despite occasional protests, probably isn’t fake!) which explores this in depth – I urge you to do the same. Written by Anisa Subedar, it’s informative and, in my opinion, beautifully written…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_godfather_of_fake_news

Enjoy and have a super day!

Expectancy value approaches to motivation

The expectancy value theory of motivation is perhaps one of the simplest, but most useful, formulations of the psychology of motivation. Why do do we do things? According to expectancy approaches, because we think that they will probably generate an outcome we value. But is there more to it than that? What is it that makes some goals seem attainable? And is it better to ‘shoot the moon’ for a high value outcome which is likely to be unattainable, or are we better going for something smaller,but more likely..?

Lets explore expectancy value theory in more depth….

Continue reading “Expectancy value approaches to motivation”