Project Details
Projekt
Selective Information Processing: A Field Experiment on De-Biasing
Subject Area
Economic Policy, Applied Economics
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 579765826
Our research project investigates how cognitive biases in information processing can be reduced in order to strengthen information literacy and improve the quality of individual information decisions. Personalized content and algorithmic recommendation mechanisms on social media promote selective perception and can contribute to distorted information intake and dissemination. Existing approaches, such as fact-checking initiatives, show mixed results and have only a limited impact on individual information consumption. Against this background, we investigate the effect of interventions on an online platform to educate users about behavioral biases and help them to recognize and avoid them. The project pursues three main objectives: (i) in cooperation with the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, to design and publish a website that educates individuals about potential sources of error in information processing (“correlation neglect” and “neglect of unobserved information”) using interactive learning modules and simulation-based scenarios; (ii) to conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) grounded in behavioral economics to examine whether such educational measures can influence information processing, cognitive biases, and news consumption in the short and medium term; and (iii) to establish a panel study to assess the longer-term effects of these measures, particularly among young and first-time voters. The project aims to generate scientifically robust evidence on how targeted educational interventions can strengthen information literacy. Using evidence-based methods, we seek to enhance information competence within the population and thereby contribute to the stability of democratic discourse.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
Co-Investigators
Professor Dr. Andreas Grunewald; Professor Dr. Ferdinand von Siemens
