About Ruth Mayo

I am a social cognitive researcher in the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

I am interested in our cognition and the ways in which it is context dependent, specifically in the social context of trust vs. distrust. I find that the most basic processes alter depending if one is in a trust or distrust mindset. One of the most basic processes we find to be affected by the dis/trust mindset is the negation process.

My research demonstrates that in a distrust mindset the human mind is capable of successful and spontaneous negation processes enabling automatic rejection. Thus, suggesting that the belief process is context-dependent and shedding new light regarding one of the most pressing concerns these days – dealing with disinformation.

Accordingly, our main current research is focused on the post truth era – antecedents and resolutions through the perspective of trust, distrust and mindsets.