Pilgrims sailing the Titanic: plausibility effects on memory for misinformation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Memory Studies
• Information Processing

Background:

• Individuals often rely on written information, even if inaccurate.
• The ubiquity and influencing factors of this misinformation effect require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the plausibility of misinformation influences people's tendency to encode and rely on inaccuracies from text.
• To explore the cognitive processes underlying the acceptance or rejection of plausible versus implausible misinformation.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted. Participants read stories containing accurate, plausible inaccurate, or implausible inaccurate statements.
• Experiment 2 included a think-aloud procedure to assess reader evaluation of misinformation.
• General knowledge tests were administered to measure reliance on presented information.

Main Results:

• Participants relied significantly less on implausible inaccuracies compared to plausible inaccuracies.
• Accurate information was consistently relied upon.
• Readers showed more skepticism towards implausible misinformation but often failed to notice or accepted plausible misinformation.

Conclusions:

• The plausibility of misinformation is a key factor influencing reliance on inaccurate information.
• Cognitive processes, including noticing and evaluation, differ for plausible and implausible inaccuracies.
• Findings provide insight into the conditions and mechanisms of misinformation effects.