scholarly journals Facing disinformation: Five methods to counter conspiracy theories amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Comunicar ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (69) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianru Guan ◽  
Tianyang Liu ◽  
Randong Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Urgent Task ◽  
Intergroup Relationships ◽  
The Face ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Medios De Comunicacion

Among the burgeoning discussions on the argumentative styles of conspiracy theories and the related cognitive processes of their audiences, research thus far is limited in regard to developing methods and strategies that could effectively debunk conspiracy theories and reduce the harmful influences of conspiracist media exposure. The present study critically evaluates the effectiveness of five approaches to reducing conspiratorial belief, through experiments (N=607) conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Our results demonstrate that the content-based methods of counter conspiracy theory can partly mitigate conspiratorial belief. Specifically, the science- and fact-focused corrections were able to effectively mitigate conspiracy beliefs, whereas media literacy and inoculation strategies did not produce significant change. More crucially, our findings illustrate that both audience-focused methods, which involve decoding the myth of conspiracy theory and re-imagining intergroup relationships, were effective in reducing the cognitive acceptance of conspiracy theory. Building on these insights, this study contributes to a systematic examination of different epistemic means to influence (or not) conspiracy beliefs -an urgent task in the face of the infodemic threat apparent both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Entre las crecientes discusiones sobre los estilos argumentativos de las teorías de conspiración y los procesos cognitivos relacionados de su público, los estudios hasta ahora son limitados en lo que respecta al desarrollo de métodos y estrategias que podrían desacreditar eficazmente las teorías de conspiración y reducir las influencias dañinas de la exposición a los medios de comunicación conspirativos. El presente estudio evalúa de manera crítica la efectividad de cinco enfoques para reducir la creencia en conspiraciones, a través de experimentos (N=607) realizados en Amazon Mechanical Turk. Nuestros resultados demuestran que los métodos basados en el contenido al enfrentar las teorías de la conspiración pueden mitigar parcialmente la creencia conspiratoria. Específicamente, las correcciones centradas en la ciencia y los hechos fueron capaces de mitigar eficazmente las creencias en la conspiración, mientras que las estrategias de alfabetización mediática e inoculación no produjeron cambios significativos. Más importante aún, nuestros hallazgos ilustran que ambos métodos centrados en el público, que implican decodificar el mito de la teoría de la conspiración y reimaginar las relaciones intergrupales, fueron efectivos para reducir la aceptación cognitiva de la teoría de la conspiración. Basado en estos conocimientos, este estudio contribuye a un examen sistemático de distintos medios epistemológicos para influir (o no) en las creencias conspirativas, una tarea urgente frente a la evidente amenaza infodémica, tanto durante como después de la pandemia de COVID-19.

scholarly journals Wearing N95, Surgical and Cloth Face Masks Compromises the Communication of Emotion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Langbehn ◽  
Dasha Yermol ◽  
Fangyun Zhao ◽  
Christopher Thorstenson ◽  
Paula Niedenthal
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expression ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Target Signal ◽  
Facial Action ◽  
Target Emotion ◽  
The Face ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Human Faces

Abstract According to the familiar axiom, the eyes are the window to the soul. However, wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 involves occluding a large portion of the face. Do the eyes carry all of the information we need to perceive each other’s emotions? We addressed this question in two studies. In the first, 162 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers saw videos of human faces displaying expressions of happiness, disgust, anger, and surprise that were fully visible or covered by N95, surgical, or cloth masks and rated the extent to which the expressions conveyed each of the four emotions. Across mask conditions, participants perceived significantly lower levels of the expressed (target) emotion and this was particularly true for expressions composed of greater facial action in the lower part of the faces. Furthermore, higher levels of other (non-target) emotions were perceived in masked compared to visible faces. In the second study, 60 MTurk workers rated the extent to which three types of smiles (reward, affiliation, and dominance smiles), either visible or masked, conveyed positive feelings, reassurance, and superiority. They reported that masked smiles communicated less of the target signal than visible faces, but not more of other possible signals. Political attitudes were not systematically associated with disruptions in the processing of facial expression caused by masking the face.

Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Ancient Rome ◽  
Medical Decisions ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The People ◽  
Medieval Europe ◽  
The World ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Twentieth Century America

Conspiracy theories are not fringe ideas, tucked away in society’s dark corners. Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and like other ideas they have consequences. When people believe conspiracy theories they may act on them. In democracies, conspiracy theories can drive majorities to make horrible decisions. Conspiracy beliefs can conversely encourage political abstention: if one believes the system is rigged, they will be less willing to take part. Conspiracy theories form the basis of some people’s medical decisions. For a select few, conspiracy theories are instructions to fight fire with fire, to use violence. There is no time in recorded history without conspiracy theories. Whether we are examining accounts of ancient Rome, medieval Europe, or twentieth-century America, conspiracy theories have inspired millions to take action. Scares, panics, purges, and bloodshed have sometimes been the result. Conspiracy theorizing is an enduring part of politics. Despite this, researchers and journalists continually struggle to understand the phenomenon. Why do people believe conspiracy theories? What are their effects on politics and society? How do conspiracy theories differ across the world? What should be done about conspiracy theories? Are we currently living through the conspiracy theory renaissance?

scholarly journals Sensitivity to Sunk Costs Depends on Attention to the Delay

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Kazinka ◽  
Angus W. MacDonald ◽  
A. David Redish
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Sunk Costs ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Wait Times ◽  
Parallel Tasks ◽  
Economic Behaviors

In the WebSurf task, humans forage for videos paying costs in terms of wait times on a time-limited task. A variant of the task in which demands during the wait time were manipulated revealed the role of attention in susceptibility to sunk costs. Consistent with parallel tasks in rodents, previous studies have found that humans (undergraduates measured in lab) preferred shorter delays, but waited longer for more preferred videos, suggesting that they were treating the delays economically. In an Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk) sample, we replicated these predicted economic behaviors for a majority of participants. In the lab, participants showed susceptibility to sunk costs in this task, basing their decisions in part on time they have already waited, which we also observed in the subset of the mTurk sample that behaved economically. In another version of the task, we added an attention check to the wait phase of the delay. While that attention check further increased the proportion of subjects with predicted economic behaviors, it also removed the susceptibility to sunk costs. These findings have important implications for understanding how cognitive processes, such as the deployment of attention, are key to driving re-evaluation and susceptibility to sunk costs.

scholarly journals When we are worried, what are we thinking? Anxiety, lack of control, and conspiracy beliefs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Šrol ◽  
Eva Ballová Mikušková ◽  
Vladimira Cavojova
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Perception Of Risk ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Trust In Institutions ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Societal crises and stressful events are associated with an upsurge of conspiracy beliefs that may help people to tackle feelings of lack of control. In our study (N = 783), we examined whether people with higher feelings of anxiety and lack of control early in the COVID-19 pandemic endorse more conspiracy theories. Our results show that a higher perception of risk of COVID-19 and lower trust in institutions’ response to the pandemic were related to feelings of anxiety and lack of control. Feeling the lack of control, but not anxiety, independently predicted COVID-19 conspiracy theory endorsement. Importantly, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs were strongly correlated with generic conspiracy and pseudoscientific beliefs, which were likewise associated with the feeling of lack of control and lower trust in institutions. The results highlight that considering people’s emotional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial for our understanding of the spread of conspiracy and pseudoscientific beliefs.

scholarly journals “If they believe, then so shall I”: Perceived beliefs of the in-group predict conspiracy theory belief

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-782
Author(s):  
Darel Cookson ◽  
Daniel Jolley ◽  
Robert C. Dempsey ◽  
Rachel Povey
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Parent Sample ◽  
Perceived Social Norms ◽  
The Relationship

Conspiracy beliefs are widespread and can have detrimental consequences. As perceived social norms can exert a powerful influence on individuals, we investigated the relationship between perceived conspiracy belief norms and personal endorsement, and whether others’ conspiracy belief is overestimated. In Study 1, UK university students ( N = 111) completed measures of their personal conspiracy beliefs and estimations of others’ beliefs (an in-group and an out-group they chose, and a prescribed in-group). Perceived in-groups’ belief strongly predicted personal conspiracy belief; perceived out-group’s belief did not. Studies 2 and 3 replicated these findings in a British community sample ( N = 177) and in a UK parent sample ( N = 197), focusing on antivaccine conspiracy theories. All studies demonstrated that people overestimate the conspiracy beliefs of others. This is the first demonstration of the association between perceived in-group conspiracy belief social norms and individuals’ personal conspiracy beliefs. Interventions challenging misperceived norms could be effective in reducing conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals COVID-19-related conspiracy theories in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110349
Author(s):  
Xue Wang ◽  
Shi-Jiang Zuo ◽  
Hoi-Wing Chan ◽  
Connie Pui-Yee Chiu ◽  
Ying-yi Hong
Keyword(s):  
Group Identification ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
National Identification ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Risk Acceptance ◽  
Malicious Intent

Many COVID-19 conspiracy theories implicate China and its agents, whether implicitly or explicitly, as conspirators with potentially malicious intent behind the current pandemic. We set out to explore whether Chinese people believe in pandemic-related conspiracy theories, and if so, how do their secure (in-group identification) and defensive (collective narcissism) in-group positivity predict their conspiracy beliefs. We hypothesized that national identification would negatively predict the tendency to attribute responsibility to an in-group, thus predicting less risk-rejection conspiracy theory beliefs (e.g., COVID-19 is a hoax). In contrast, national collective narcissism would positively predict the tendency to attribute responsibility for the pandemic to an out-group, which in turn would validate conspiracy theories that acknowledge the risk of the pandemic (e.g., COVID-19 is a bioweapon). To test these predictions, we collected data in China ( n = 1,200) in April 2020. Supporting our predictions, national identification was negatively associated with risk-rejection conspiracy beliefs via in-group attribution, whereas national collective narcissism was positively associated with risk-acceptance conspiracy beliefs via out-group attribution.

scholarly journals Religious and conspiracist? An analysis of the relationship between the dimensions of individual religiosity and belief in a big pharma conspiracy theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Riccardo Ladini
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Church Attendance ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
European Values ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract In the increasing scholars' attention to factors associated with conspiracy beliefs, religiosity has been under-investigated, at least in empirical research. This study aims to address the issue by analysing to what extent and in which forms individual religiosity is associated with conspiracy beliefs. Religion and conspiracy theories could show both similarities and dissimilarities. First, as alternative religiosity and conspiracy theories tend to spread knowledge stigmatized by the authorities, we expect that alternative religious beliefs are positively associated with conspiracy beliefs. Second, as religion and conspiracy theories explain events with the agency of invisible forces and detect patterns in nature, also conventional religious beliefs are supposed to be positively associated with conspiracy beliefs. Third, church attendance is hypothesized to discourage conspiracy beliefs, as exposure to religious authorities could deter the adhesion to unofficial narratives. By employing data coming from the Italian joint edition of the European Values Study–World Values Survey 2018, the paper tests the hypotheses by analysing the association between the multiple dimensions of individual religiosity and belief in a conspiracy theory on pharmaceutical companies. Results show that, after controlling for confidence in political and religious institutions and attitudes towards science, only alternative religious beliefs, here measured by belief in the reincarnation, are positively associated with belief in the big pharma conspiracy theory. Empirical evidence suggests taking caution when looking at similarities between conventional religiosity and conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Conspiracies, Trust in Authorities, and Duty to Comply with Social Distancing Restrictions

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Murphy ◽  
Molly McCarthy ◽  
Elise Sargeant ◽  
Harley Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn 2020 governments worldwide implemented various laws and social distancing restrictions to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, conspiracy theories emerged purporting that authorities were using the COVID-19 pandemic to permanently control or harm citizens. These conspiracies undermined government responses to the pandemic and in some cases elicited civil disobedience. Using survey data from 779 Australians collected eight months into the pandemic, we examined the relationship between conspiracy beliefs, trust in the government, and duty to comply with authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined whether trust in government moderated the association between conspiracy beliefs and duty to comply. We found that those prone to conspiracy theory beliefs and who distrusted government were less likely to comply with authorities during the pandemic. We also found that trust in the government moderated the negative relationship between conspiracy beliefs and duty to comply; high trust served as a protective factor against conspiracy beliefs. Importantly, we found that how government actions were experienced and perceived during the pandemic were important correlates of Australians’ level of trust in the government. Our findings point to the importance of governments maintaining high trust in their efficacy and approach during a crisis.

scholarly journals The partisan contours of conspiracy theory beliefs

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 205316801774655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Smallpage ◽  
Adam M. Enders ◽  
Joseph E. Uscinski
Keyword(s):  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Congressional Election ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Opposing Group ◽  
Partisan Conflict

The “conspiracy theories are for losers” argument suggests that out-of-power groups use conspiracy theories to sensitize minds, close ranks, and encourage collective action. Two necessary conditions of this argument are that (1) group members subscribe mostly to conspiracy theories that malign out-groups or bolster their in-group, and (2) group members must recognize whether conspiracy theories emanate from their own group, an opposing group, or are outside of partisan conflict. Using representative survey data from the 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we show that conspiracy accusations follow the contours of partisan conflict: partisans accuse opposing groups, rather than co-partisans or non-partisans, of conspiring. Using MTurk data, we show that partisans can differentiate between the conspiracy theories coming from members of each party. We suggest that many conspiracy beliefs behave like most partisan attitudes; they follow the contours of partisan conflict and act as calling cards that send clear signals to co-partisans.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Scientific Facts Vs. Conspiracy Theories: 0 – 1: Science Fails to Convince Even Highly Educated Individuals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marios Constantinou ◽  
Anthony Kagialis ◽  
Maria Karekla
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Scientific Facts

Abstract Science may be failing to convince a significant number of people about COVID-19 scientific facts and needed public health measures. Individual and social factors are behind believing conspiracy theories. Adults (N = 1001) were asked to rate their beliefs in various conspiracy theories circulating in social media, rate their psychological distress relating to COVID-19, rate their trust in science to solve COVID-19 problems, and rate their willingness to adhere to measures regarding social distancing and quarantine. The findings showed conspiracy theories are widely believed even among highly educated individuals. Stronger conspiracy theory beliefs predicted science mistrust and unwillingness to adhere to public health measures. Psychological distress increased conspiracy beliefs. Recommendations, stemming from the findings, for reducing such beliefs and better serve public health are discussed.

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