Perception of fake news by students with different psychological characteristics: Results of the methodological experiment

Abstract

The perception of fake news has become the focus of social-humanitarian research as affecting people’s behavior. Students have always been a reactive force of society, so the question of what characteristics determine students’ perception of fake news is quite relevant. The authors consider as such characteristics the level of emotional intelligence (EI), suggestibility and psychotype. To check how these characteristics determine the perception of fake news, the Laboratory of Sociological and Focus Group Research of the RUDN University conducted a methodological experiment with the focus group method in 2022. Two groups were randomized according to the psychotype: the first group consisted of participants with a high level of EI, the second group - with a low level of EI. The groups included only those students who considered themselves capable of distinguishing fake news from real situations. Both groups watched videos that presented fake news as real. The moderator was to make participants doubt, to convince them of the reality of the news. After the group discussion, the design of the experiment was revealed to its participants. The discussion and tests before and after the discussion allowed to conclude that EI and psychotype weakly affect the capability to identify fake news under external influences, but a high level of EI determines both critical perception and ability to change one’s position, i.e. suggestibility. The participants’ logical argumentation depends on the psychotype and level of EI, but the quality of the argument seems to depend on the general erudition and education. The authors’ findings are consistent with the results of related studies, but the suggestion component of the experiment is close to everyday situations and provides opportunities for developing media literacy programs for students.