Psych and Stuff: Sticking to Our Guns: Why People Don’t Change Their Minds with Prof. Weinschenk

In this episode, Ryan and Georjeanna talk with UW-Green Bay Prof. Aaron Weinschenk (Political Science) about the concept called belief perseverance. Why is it so hard to change our minds after receiving new information? Current events such as vaccine disbelief may be rooted in our inability to internalize new information and change our minds on a topic once we have our opinions set. We discuss why this may happen and ways to invite flexibility into our opinion-making. This episode is also an amazing sneak peek into a topic that will be discussed at Common CAHSS. Common CAHSS is an annual conference put on by UWGB’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. This 2021 event is, themed “Truth, Information, Misinformation, and Democracy,” and seeks to explore the role of the modern university in supporting the “continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found,” which has been part of the University of Wisconsin identity for over a century. Learn more about Common CAHSS 2021: Truth, including a schedule of events.