Relations of Familiarity with Reasoning Strategies in Conspiracy Beliefs

Dados Bibliográficos

ID13663884
AutoresPreston R Bost (Wabash College, autor correspondente), Stephen G Prunier (Wabash College), Allen J Piper (Wabash College)
Ano2010
Volume107
Fascículo2
Páginas593-602
Data de publicação2010-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPsychological Reports (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2466/07.09.17.pr0.107.5.593-602
PMID21117487
OpenAlexW2082352369
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7
Referências citadas17

The prevalence and resilience of conspiracy beliefs suggest that such beliefs may derive in part from general information-processing mechanisms. Two predictions were tested: conspiracy beliefs would increase as familiarity with the conspiracy increased, and conspiracy beliefs would rest in part on the perception of the alleged conspirators' motive. Participants read condensed versions of four real-life conspiracy theories of varying familiarity, rated their belief in the conspiracies, and explained their ratings. Although belief was not associated with familiarity, participants used different justifications for their beliefs about familiar and unfamiliar conspiracies, relying prominently on motive when the conspiracy was unfamiliar. Preliminary data suggested that participants' beliefs in conspiracies may have been equally strong when they reasoned only in terms of motive as when they reasoned in terms of documented evidence. An additional finding suggested also that beliefs in conspiracies may increase as affiliation with the victim of the alleged conspiracy increases

Perception · Psychological resilience · Media Influence and Politics · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology