Why false beliefs persist even after correction — the cognitive science of misinformation. Covers the continued influence effect, the debunked "backfire effect," inoculation theory, source credibility decay, and the illusory truth effect. Integrates experimental psychology, communication science, and computational propaganda research to map when and why corrections fail.
Study of how false beliefs form, persist after correction, and resist updating. Spans cognitive psychology (memory-based accounts), communication science (framing and source effects), and computational social science (spread dynamics). Core puzzle: why do people continue to rely on information they have been told is false?
continued_influence_effect
Continued Influence EffectThe tendency for previously encoded misinformation to continue shaping reasoning and inference even after an effective correction has been encoded and accepted. Measured via inference questions about a scenario where causal misinformation was retracted.
illusory_truth_effect
Illusory Truth EffectRepeated exposure to a statement increases its perceived truth, independent of actual veracity. Processing fluency from repetition is misattributed to truth. Effect size typically d=0.3-0.5 per additional exposure.
backfire_effect
Backfire EffectThe hypothesized phenomenon where corrections strengthen rather than weaken false beliefs. Originally reported by Nyhan & Reifler (2010) but largely failed to replicate in subsequent studies. Now considered rare or nonexistent under standard conditions — corrections generally work, they just do not work completely.
inoculation_effectiveness
Inoculation EffectivenessReduction in susceptibility to misinformation after exposure to weakened doses of manipulative arguments plus refutational preemption. Measured as the difference in belief change between inoculated and control groups when subsequently exposed to misinformation. Meta-analytic effect: d=0.29 (Banas & Rains, 2010).
source_credibility
Source CredibilityPerceived expertise and trustworthiness of the information source. Moderates correction effectiveness — corrections from high-credibility sources are more effective, but the advantage decays over time (sleeper effect). Typically measured via expertise + trustworthiness scales.
analytic_thinking
Analytic ThinkingDisposition toward deliberative, reflective cognitive processing (System 2) versus intuitive processing (System 1). Measured via Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). Consistently predicts better discernment between true and false news headlines, independent of political ideology.
correction_effectiveness
Correction EffectivenessDegree to which a correction reduces reliance on misinformation in subsequent reasoning. Measured as proportion of misinformation-consistent inferences eliminated. Corrections typically reduce but do not eliminate CIE — residual influence remains even after strong corrections.
Domain: Misinformation & Belief Persistence
Study of how false beliefs form, persist after correction, and resist updating. Spans cognitive psychology (memory-based accounts), communication science (framing and source effects), and computational social science (spread dynamics). Core puzzle: why do people continue to rely on information they have been told is false?
Temporal scope: 1994-present | Population: Experimental participants (mostly WEIRD), social media users, survey panels
Install this PAX into your Praxis instance:
praxis_import_pax("misinformation-belief-persistence.pax.tar.gz", install=True)