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. 2023 Dec;30(6):2397-2406.
doi: 10.3758/s13423-023-02276-4. Epub 2023 May 23.

Repetition could increase the perceived truth of conspiracy theories

Jérémy Béna  1 , Mathias Rihet  2 , Ophélie Carreras  2 , Patrice Terrier  2
Affiliations

Repetition could increase the perceived truth of conspiracy theories

Jérémy Béna et al. Psychon Bull Rev. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Conspiracy theories can be encountered repeatedly, which raises the issue of the effect of their repeated exposure on beliefs. Earlier studies found that repetition increases truth judgments of factual statements, whether they are uncertain, highly implausible, or fake news, for instance. Would this "truth effect" be observed with conspiracy statements? If so, is the effect size smaller than the typical truth effect, and is it associated with individual differences such as cognitive style and conspiracy mentality? In the present preregistered study, we addressed these three issues. We asked participants to provide binary truth judgments to conspiracy and factual statements already displayed in an exposure phase (an interest judgment task) or that were new (displayed only in the truth judgment task). We measured participants' cognitive style with the three-item Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), and conspiracy mentality with the Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ). Importantly, we found that repetition increased truth judgments of conspiracy theories, unmoderated by cognitive style and conspiracy mentality. Additionally, we found that the truth effect was smaller with conspiracy theories than with uncertain factual statements, and suggest explanations for this difference. The results suggest that repetition may be a simple way to increase belief in conspiracy theories. Whether repetition increases conspiracy beliefs in natural settings and how it contributes to conspiracism compared to other factors are important questions for future research.

Keywords: Belief; Conspiracy theories; Repetition; Truth effect.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportions of “true” responses as a function of Materials and Repetition. The dots are the participants’ scores (horizontally jittered). The error bars are the 95% confidence intervals of the means, with the mean in between. The distributions are the kernel probability density of the data in each Materials × Repetition condition (trimmed to remain within the range of possible values, between 0 and 1). Dashed horizontal line: no bias toward a “true” or “false” response
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proportions of “true” responses as a function of Materials and mean CMQ scores (a) and the number of Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) problems correctly solved (b). The shaded areas around the regression lines are the 95% confidence intervals. Mean Conspiracy Mentality Questionnaire (CMQ) scores and the number of CRT problems correctly solved were standardized in the regression analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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