Whereas it might appear unsurprising to those that have been paying shut consideration, the findings printed within the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Normal problem the belief that solely less-educated, conservative-leaning people are vulnerable to disinformation or bias.
“What we found was that even with outrageous headlines — where you’d expect truth to have a significant impact — political concordance (how the information aligns with personal beliefs) still mattered twice as much,” mentioned research co-author Geoffrey Cohen, a professor within the Division of Psychology at Stanford College. “We all know political concordance can be important, but we don’t fully realize just how much it matters and how little truthfulness matters relative to what we think it should.”
The research was carried out alongside fellow psychology professor Michael Schwalbe by way of 15- to 20-minute on-line interviews over two months previous to the 2022 midterm elections. It was printed throughout a heated and intently contested presidential marketing campaign between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, who’s making an attempt to return to the White Home after his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
Questions primarily revolved round correct and false tales concerning Trump.
The analysis workforce developed sensational pretend headlines like “Trump Beats Grandmaster Chess Champion” and “Trump Attended Private Halloween Gala with Sex Orgies Dressed as the Pope.” They discovered that each Trump supporters and opponents have been extra more likely to consider these headlines in the event that they aligned with their political opinions, than to belief true headlines that contradicted their beliefs.
“We found that even for those outrageous headlines, even when the effect of truth should be really, really big, just given the nature of our stimuli, it was still the case that political concordance mattered twice as much,” Cohen mentioned.
Whereas either side demonstrated bias towards their very own political opinions, Trump supporters reported increased ranges of one-sided media consumption. Additionally they displayed a stronger “objectivity illusion,” or the assumption that their very own facet was much less biased and extra goal than the opposing facet.
The research additionally advocated for data transparency, accountability, and public belief in establishments by way of open information, whistleblower protections, and stronger cybersecurity measures, seen as a option to information the general public towards dependable sources.
“One is humility. It’s almost like a civic virtue, right?” Cohen mentioned. “But you have to be a defensive driver when it comes to your mind, understanding that others are vying to control and influence it, but ultimately, you are in control of your own mind.”
Initially Printed: November 4, 2024 at 2:56 PM PST
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