True or False?: The Science of Perception, Misinformation, and Disinformation

Written for pre-teens and young teens in lively text accompanied by fun facts, True or False? The Science of Perception, Misinformation, and Disinformation explores what psychology tells us about development and persistence of false perceptions and beliefs and the difficulty of correcting them, plus ways to debunk misinformation and think critically and factually about the world around us.

Our big brains are super-efficient but glitchy. Scientists estimate that 90% of what we see, hear, smell, or sense never really sinks in. Instead, we pick up on the big things, general impressions, or important stuff and end up leaving our brains to fill in the missing info. And on top of that, people sometimes twist information on purpose. False beliefs can be shared from person to person or go viral in a flash, often by people who think the info is true.

This book explores how we think and perceive and why false beliefs, superstitions, opinions, misinformation, or wild guesses can stick around and mess things up. You'll see how misunderstandings and misuse of scientific findings can lead people to the wrong conclusions. Readers learn how to outsmart their brain to gain critical thinking skills and find ways to identify and correct false beliefs and disinformation.