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Learning errors from fiction: difficulties in reducing reliance on fictional stories
Elizabeth J Marsh1, Lisa K Fazio
1Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, 9 Flowers Drive, Box 90086, Durham, NC 27708-0086, USA. emarsh@psych.duke.edu
Memory & Cognition
|November 30, 2006
Summary
Readers often believe fictional information, even when it contradicts facts. This study found that people do not naturally check fiction for accuracy but can be prompted to do so.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Reading Comprehension
- Memory and Suggestibility
Background:
- Readers frequently accept fictional narratives as factual, impacting their real-world knowledge.
- The phenomenon of suggestibility in fiction reading is a significant concern for information accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether readers can monitor fictional content for factual errors.
- To determine if error monitoring in fiction reduces suggestibility.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Assessed reliance on fiction with pre-reading warnings.
- Experiment 2: Examined suggestibility with warnings and varying reading levels (6th and 12th grade).
- Experiment 3: Employed an error detection task (key press) during reading.
Main Results:
- Warnings alone did not reduce reliance on fictional information.
- Simpler reading levels (6th grade) did not enhance error monitoring or reduce suggestibility.
- Active error detection on a trial-by-trial basis reduced but did not eliminate suggestibility.
Conclusions:
- Readers do not spontaneously monitor fiction for veracity.
- Suggestibility can be mitigated through active, continuous error detection prompts.
- Further research is needed to fully understand and counteract fictional suggestibility.
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