24 Months, Fixed-Term, Whole-Time Post
Position Summary
Applications are invited for the role of Post-Doctoral Researcher within the School of Applied Psychology
Converging lines of research indicate that critical thinking is a vitally important skill in many areas of life, not least when it comes to consuming information online. However, there are limited studies that have developed and evaluated effective means for improving critical thinking skills in an accessible way. Digital technologies offer an obvious solution to this conundrum, and we have previously developed an online game (“Nashville PI”) to teach critical thinking skills. As part of this two-year postdoctoral position, we will rigorously evaluate our game, further develop the features, and then scale it up to tackle significant social issues such as climate change, immigration and moral panics related to technology.
Our existing game (Nashville PI) teaches users how to search for and evaluate conspiracy-related information online. In proof-of concept testing, we previously demonstrated that the game is enjoyable and effectively teaches critical thinking skills. This approach to tackling belief in unviable conspiracy theories is unique, in that we are not using the game to “educate” participants about what they should or should not believe. Indeed, we note that conspiracies can and do happen (e.g. Watergate, the CIA's MK Ultra programme, etc.). Such an approach would also not be acceptable to many people who might hold very strong conspiracy beliefs. Instead, our game teaches participants the critical thinking skills they need to better evaluate online claims for themselves and effectively discern between viable and unviable conspiracy beliefs. In this way, it is more appealing to a broader audience, challenging them to show how good they are at spotting the true conspiracies.
The two-year position would entail the following tasks:
Phase One - Evaluation
In this phase, we will rigorously evaluate our online game to assess how effectively it can work as a tool to combat belief in unviable conspiracy theories. The goal of this phase is to accurately quantify the effectiveness of the game, for different samples and at different time intervals.
Phase Two – Tailoring
Building on the findings of Phase One, where we will have hopefully demonstrated the effectiveness of our refined version of the game on teaching critical thinking about conspiracy theories, Phase Two will address other social issues. The mechanics and theoretical underpinning of our game are such that, with a relatively small amount of tailoring and reprogramming, it should be possible to redesign our game to address issues beyond conspiratorial thinking.
Project Title: Online Detective: Using Serious Games to Teach Critical Thinking
Post Duration: 24 Months
Salary: €44,847 €51,313 per annum IUA PD1 Scale.
For an information package including further details of the post see https: // ore.ucc.ie/.
Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Gillian Murphy, Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Psychology, Tel: + 353 (0) 21 490 4551; Email: [email protected]
Applications must be submitted online via the University College Cork vacancy portal (https: // ore.ucc.ie/). Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to [email protected], quoting the job-title and project name.
Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12 noon (Irish Local Time) on Friday, 22nd November 2024.
No late applications will be accepted.
Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on University approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.
UCC is committed to creating and fully embracing an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. As a University we strive to create a workplace that reflects the diversity of our student population where people from a wide variety of backgrounds learn from one another, share ideas, and work collaboratively. UCC is committed to being an employer that recognises the value of diversity amongst its staff. We encourage applicants to consult our policies at https: // www. ucc.ie/en/edi/policies/ and initiatives at https: // www. ucc.ie/en/edi/implementation/ and we welcome applications from everyone, including those who are underrepresented in the protected characteristics set out in our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER
Contact Person : Gillian Murphy Contact Email : [email protected] Job ID : 081531 Contact Number : + 353 (0) 21 490 4551 Close Date : 22-Nov-2024 12:00