Explaining Health Misinformation Belief through News, Social, and Alternative Health Media Use: The Moderating Roles of Need for Cognition and Faith in Intuition

AbstractDoes cognitive motivation influence how people gather and interpret information about COVID-19 and their adherence to measures? To address these questions, we conducted a longitudinal survey among European and American respondents. Wave 1 (N = 501) was conducted on March 27, 2020 and Wave 2 (N = 326) on July 1, 2020. We assessed COVID-19 knowledge, endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, media use, Need for Cognition (NC), Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC), and self-reported adherence to governmental measures taken. Results showed that nearly three-quarters of our respondents actively searched for information about COVID-19. Most at least once a day. Information seeking behaviour was not influenced by cognitive motivation (i.e., NC and NCC). However, cognitive motivation was related to (1) knowledge about COVID-19, (2) conspiracy rejection, and (3) change in knowledge over time. Respondents with more knowledge on COVID-19 also indicated to adhere more often to measures taken by their government. Self-reported adherence to measures was not influenced by cognitive motivation. Implications of these findings will be discussed.

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Consumers’ participation in information-related activities on social media

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0250248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0250248

Author(s):

Su-Jung Nam ◽

Hyesun Hwang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Information Literacy ◽

Digital Literacy ◽

Media Use ◽

Need For Cognition ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Content Sharing ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The Relationship

This study examined the relationship between consumers’ characteristics and social media use, focusing on consumers’ information-related activities such as creating content, sharing information, and providing feedback on information. The results showed that consumers’ creating content, sharing information, and providing of feedback on information were affected by their digital literacy, need for cognition, and self-esteem. Information literacy and need for cognition had positive effects on engagement in these information-related activities, but self-esteem exerted a negative effect.

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Investment Traits and Intelligence in Adulthood

Journal of Individual Differences ◽

10.1027/1614-0001/a000101 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 82-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sophie von Stumm

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Fluid Intelligence ◽

Need For Cognition ◽

Openness To Experience ◽

Intelligence Tests ◽

Crystallized Intelligence ◽

New Knowledge ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Intelligence-as-knowledge in adulthood is influenced by individual differences in intelligence-as-process (i.e., fluid intelligence) and in personality traits that determine when, where, and how people invest their intelligence over time. Here, the relationship between two investment traits (i.e., Openness to Experience and Need for Cognition), intelligence-as-process and intelligence-as-knowledge, as assessed by a battery of crystallized intelligence tests and a new knowledge measure, was examined. The results showed that (1) both investment traits were positively associated with intelligence-as-knowledge; (2) this effect was stronger for Openness to Experience than for Need for Cognition; and (3) associations between investment and intelligence-as-knowledge reduced when adjusting for intelligence-as-process but remained mostly significant.

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Election Poster Persuasion

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000323 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 3-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Malte Schott ◽

Jule Wolf

Keyword(s):

Political Parties ◽

Policy Evaluation ◽

Political Party ◽

Need For Cognition ◽

Evaluation Study ◽

Additional Measure ◽

Political Preferences ◽

Policy Statements ◽

Voting Intentions

Abstract. We examined the effect of presenting unknown policy statements on German parties’ election posters. Study 1 showed that participants inferred the quality of a presented policy from knowledge about the respective political party. Study 2 showed that participants’ own political preferences influenced valence estimates: policy statements presented on campaign posters of liked political parties were rated significantly more positive than those presented on posters of disliked political parties. Study 3 replicated the findings of Study 2 with an additional measure of participants’ need for cognition. Need for cognition scores were unrelated to the valence transfer from political parties to policy evaluation. Study 4 replicated the findings of Studies 2 and 3 with an additional measure of participants’ voting intentions. Voting intentions were a significant predictor for valence transfer. Participants credited both their individually liked and disliked political parties for supporting the two unknown policies. However, the credit attributed to the liked party was significantly higher than to the disliked one. Study 5 replicated the findings of Studies 2, 3, and 4. Additionally, participants evaluated political clubs that were associated with the same policies previously presented on election posters. Here, a second-degree transfer emerged: from party valence to policy evaluation and from policy evaluation to club evaluation. Implications of the presented studies for policy communications and election campaigning are discussed.

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Meta-Cognition Predicts Attitude Depolarization and Intentions to Engage With the Opposition Following Pro-Attitudinal Advocacy

Social Psychology ◽

10.1027/1864-9335/a000424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (6) ◽

pp. 408-421

Author(s):

Ravini S. Abeywickrama ◽

Simon M. Laham

Keyword(s):

Need For Cognition

Abstract. Across two studies we show that attitudes can paradoxically depolarize when people advocate for their own opinions. In Study 1 ( n = 276), we show that attitude depolarization is driven by how much meta-cognitive confidence people place in their advocacy attempt, such that those who experience low confidence during advocacy are more likely to depolarize. In Study 2 ( n = 495), we show that meta-cognitive confidence predicts communicative intentions, such as intentions to engage with those holding dissimilar views. In Study 2, we also show that the confidence–polarization and confidence–engagement links are unaffected by audience attitudes, but are moderated by Need-for-Cognition. The findings suggest that confidence and level of elaboration may predict some self-persuasive effects of pro-attitudinal advocacy.

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Guilty Pleasure No More

Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications ◽

10.1027/1864-1105/a000223 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 126-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Robin L. Nabi ◽

Debora Pérez Torres ◽

Abby Prestin

Keyword(s):

Stress Management ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Media Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Breast Cancer Patients ◽

Positive Role ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Relative Value ◽

Management Techniques ◽

Managing Stress

Abstract. Despite the substantial attention paid to stress management in the extant coping literature, media use has been surprisingly overlooked as a strategy worthy of close examination. Although media scholars have suggested media use may be driven by a need to relax, related research has been sporadic and, until recently, disconnected from the larger conversation about stress management. The present research aimed to determine the relative value of media use within the broader range of coping strategies. Based on surveys of both students and breast cancer patients, media use emerged as one of the most frequently selected strategies for managing stress across a range of personality and individual difference variables. Further, heavier television consumers and those with higher perceived stress were also more likely to use media for coping purposes. Finally, those who choose media for stress management reported it to be an effective tool, although perhaps not as effective as other popular strategies. This research not only documents the centrality of media use in the corpus of stress management techniques, thus highlighting the value of academic inquiry into media-based coping, but it also offers evidence supporting the positive role media use can play in promoting psychological well-being.

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