Home > Influencing our Beliefs

Influencing our beliefs gives you the opportunity to consider how identity and beliefs influence knowledge. At the end of this lesson, you will be able to consider how peer and social media pressure can influence our decisions.
Time
30-40 minutes
Main Skill
Reading
Theme and topic
Identities: - Influencing Our Beliefs
Download Available
Reading Comprehension Exercise
Human behaviour is influenced by countless environmental factors. One such factor is peer pressure. Watch the video and then answer the questions that follow.
Read the text about how political parties influence our beliefs and answer the questions that follow.
Adapted from How political parties influence our beliefs, and what we can do about it by Cell Press.
Here are the keywords and phrases to learn:
- beliefs and values
- collectivism conform
- fake news
- influence
- lead astray
- nonconformist
- optical illusions
- peer pressure
- political divide
- unanimous
- With increasing participation in social media with online 'friends' that have similar beliefs and values, what are the implications for seeking 'the truth'? How is social media like an 'echo chamber' in reflecting what we already believe and know, and how can this be damaging to society? Write a response to these questions.
- Write a set of guidelines for students to follow when searching for reliable sources of information online.
- Discuss the following questions with your friend. What is the truth? How do we know something is true? How do group identity and beliefs influence knowledge?

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