Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

7.4K
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
7.4K
Magical Thinking01:29

Magical Thinking

12
Magical thinking encompasses the belief in assumptions that defy logical reasoning yet appear intuitively convincing. It is a common psychological phenomenon that persists across various cultural and individual contexts. While these assumptions contradict empirical evidence and scientific laws, they often serve meaningful psychological roles in promoting emotional resilience and a sense of control, especially under stress or uncertainty.Thought-Action Fusion and the Law of SimilarityA key...
12
Routes of Persuasion02:20

Routes of Persuasion

66.2K
Persuasion is the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication. Much of the persuasion we experience comes from outside forces. How do people convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? What communications do you receive that attempt to persuade you to change your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors?
66.2K
Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

29.4K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
29.4K
Cause and Effect01:53

Cause and Effect

11.6K
While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
11.6K
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

7.1K
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the...
7.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

*Deconfounding Sex and Sex of Partner in Mate-Preference Research.

Psychological science·2025
Same author

She told me about a singing cactus: Counterintuitive concepts are more accurately attributed to their speakers than ordinary concepts.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2021
Same author

A simple definition of 'intentionally'.

Cognition·2021
Same author

The Embodied God: Core Intuitions About Person Physicality Coexist and Interfere With Acquired Christian Beliefs About God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus.

Cognitive science·2019
Same author

The Use of Eye Tracking as a Biomarker of Treatment Outcome in a Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial for Young Children with Autism.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research·2019
Same author

A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of an Enhanced Pivotal Response Treatment Approach for Young Children with Autism: The PRISM Model.

Journal of autism and developmental disorders·2019
Same journal

From silenced shock to strategic resilience: a longitudinal qualitative study of nurse residents' trajectory in coping with patient verbal abuse.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Validation of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) for forest firefighters: implications for human-technology interaction and occupational safety in the future of work.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Development and validation of the football emotion scale for Chinese youth players: a psychometric study.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

From online engagement to offline action: how social media environmental engagement shapes university students' pro-environmental citizenship through intrinsic motivation and personal norms.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

The multidimensional inventory of religious/spiritual wellbeing in Hungarian language: psychometric properties and initial validation.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same journal

Effects of occupational factors on depression in Chinese veterans: a fsQCA study based on 2022 CFPS data.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 16, 2025

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.9K

Counterintuitive Pseudoscience Propagates by Exploiting the Mind's Communication Evaluation Mechanisms.

Spencer Mermelstein1, Tamsin C German1

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.

Frontiers in Psychology
|October 22, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Counterintuitive pseudoscience, like astrology, spreads by first triggering cognitive defenses, then capturing attention and memory. This leads to information seeking and re-transmission, promoting cultural acceptance.

Keywords:
astrologycounterintuitive conceptsepidemiology of representationsepistemic vigilancememoryparapsychologypseudosciencesocial transmission

More Related Videos

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface
11:54

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Published on: May 8, 2021

4.7K
Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
06:05

Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships

Published on: April 20, 2022

2.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 16, 2025

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.9K
Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface
11:54

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Published on: May 8, 2021

4.7K
Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
06:05

Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships

Published on: April 20, 2022

2.0K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Cultural Evolution
  • Psychology of Belief

Background:

  • Epidemiological models suggest belief prevalence correlates with cognitive intuition fit.
  • Pseudoscience often appeals due to its intuitive compatibility (e.g., anti-vaccination beliefs).
  • Some pseudoscience, however, violates common intuitions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a pathway for the spread of "counterintuitive pseudoscience".
  • To explain how beliefs violating intuitions gain cultural traction.

Main Methods:

  • Drawing on recent empirical evidence.
  • Proposing a theoretical pathway for belief transmission.
  • Analyzing cognitive mechanisms involved in evaluating information.

Main Results:

  • Counterintuitive pseudoscience initially triggers communication evaluation mechanisms, quarantining suspect information.
  • Despite initial quarantine, these concepts gain attention and memory when paired with intuitive content.
  • Information-seeking and re-transmission are promoted through social interaction and deference to authority.

Conclusions:

  • Counterintuitive pseudoscience spreads through a complex process involving cognitive evaluation, attention capture, and social transmission.
  • Explicit endorsement does not necessarily mean deep-seated belief or commitment.
  • Understanding these pathways is key to understanding the cultural success of pseudoscience.