Political Psychology: Fake News and Misperceptions

Dr. Joe Vitriol is an Assistant Professor in the Business School at Lehigh University. He is also an instructor in the Extension and Summer Schools at Harvard University. Vitriol was formerly a senior researcher in the political science department at Stony Brook University, college fellow in the psychology department at Harvard University, and postdoctoral research associate in the psychology department at Lehigh University. He holds a PhD in social-personality and political psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and a BA/MA in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Vitriol studies the causes, consequences, and solutions to bias in judgment and behavior in applied contexts, including political, legal, and organizational settings. His current research interests include personality, social cognition, and attitudes; psychology of bias and prejudice-regulation; science communication and anti-bias education; organizational behavior and leadership; political psychology, cognition, and behavior; fake news, conspiracy theories, and ideological extremism; eyewitness evidence, policing, and legal decision-making. Vitriol is an award winning scientist and educator who has taught courses on these topics and more at Harvard University, Stony Brook University, Lehigh University, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Vitriol also has extensive experience as a media expert on misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories; a scientific expert on implicit bias and anti-prejudice interventions; an expert witness on sources of error and unreliability in eyewitness memory; a consultant for law enforcement and government agencies on a range of topics within the social and behavioral sciences; a strategist for political communication; and a litigation consultant on psychological issues in the courtroom.