Exploitation of psychological processes in information influence operations : Insights from cognitive science

Curator note

We live in a turbulent information environment characterized by untrustworthy
information in various forms. These include not only written texts but also images and
videos, each contributing to the challenge of discerning fact from fiction. However,
disinformation and propaganda are not new phenomena; they have been part of human
communication for millennia. What sets the current situation apart is the impact of
digitalization, particularly through the internet and social media, which accelerates the
spread of disinformation, allowing it to reach a global audience. More recently, artificial
intelligence is becoming a significant player in this landscape. AI applications, such as
large language models like ChatGPT, are likely to reshape how information is created,
shared, and consumed.
Fetzer (2004) defines “misinformation" as false, mistaken, or misleading information that is shared without harmful intent. In contrast, "disinformation" refers to the intentional and deliberate dissemination of such information (Pamment & Isaksson, 2024) with the specific purpose of misleading, deceiving, or creating confusion. Coordinated efforts to mislead large groups of people are typically referred to as influence operations or campaigns, on the understanding that they are the work of organizations making use of clandestine coordination to spread false information through techniques including, but not limited to, mis- and disinformation. The goal is typically to influence or manipulate public opinion and alter perceptions of world events by deliberately distorting the information environment in ways that benefit the sender of the information (Starbird et al., 2019; Pamment & Isaksson, 2024). Such actions work by reshaping individuals’ mental representations or mental models – the cognitive frameworks people use to understand, interpret, and respond to the world around them.
Phenomena such as disinformation and propaganda have been widely studied across various academic disciplines, each offering unique perspectives on their causes, mechanisms, and effects. These disciplines include, for instance, political science, media & communication studies, philosophy, computer science, and military science (Grahn et al., 2025). Despite the breadth of research, cognitive science appears to be underrepresented in this research landscape – particularly in studies conducted within the Nordic countries. Overall, cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and emotional responses are often exploited by influence operations, and understanding these processes offers insight into points of vulnerability.
In this paper, we explore how cognitive science can enhance and inform research on
information influence by emphasizing the human factors that should be considered in this context. By integrating principles from cognitive science, we can gain insights into how individuals process information, form beliefs, and make decisions in response to information manipulation. This interdisciplinary approach seeks to generate new ideas for studying, analysing, and understanding the impact of disinformation and related phenomena. While this report does not aim to provide an exhaustive list of these research areas, it offers a starting point for understanding cognitive mechanisms at play.