Is the label 'conspiracy theory' a cause or a consequence of disbelief in alternative narratives

Bibliographic Data

ID5268800
AuthorsKaren M Douglas (0000-0002-0381-6924, University of Kent Canterbury UK, corresponding author), Jan-Willem Van Prooijen (0000-0001-6236-0819, VU Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands), Robbie M Sutton (0000-0003-1542-1716, University of Kent Canterbury UK)
Year2022
Volume113
Issue3
Pages575-590
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjop.12548
PMID34921399
OpenAlexW4200059705
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited43

Using the label 'conspiracy theory' is widely perceived to be a way of discrediting wild ideas and unsubstantiated claims. However, prior research suggests that labelling statements as conspiracy theories does not reduce people's belief in them. In four studies, we probed this effect further, and tested the alternative hypothesis that the label 'conspiracy theory' is a consequence rather than a cause of (dis)belief in conspiracy-related statements. Replicating prior research, Study 1 (N = 170) yielded no evidence that the label 'conspiracy theory' affects belief in statements. In Study 2 (N = 199), we discovered that the less people believed in statements, the more they favoured labelling them as 'conspiracy theories'. In Studies 3 and 4 (Ns = 150 and 151), we manipulated the relative believability of statements and found that participants preferred the label 'conspiracy theory' for relatively less believable versus more believable statements. The current research therefore supports the hypothesis that prior (dis)agreement with a statement affects the use of the label 'conspiracy theory' more than the other way around

Cognition · Epistemology · False belief · Narrative · Statement (logic) · Theory of mind · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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