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A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Conspiracy thinking involves understanding narratives, but conspiracy theorists interpret real-world events with biased information and lower cognitive reflection. This leads them to favor perspectives aligning with their existing, often misinformation-influenced, knowledge base.

Keywords:
CognitionComprehensionConspiracy thinkingNarrativeSituation model

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Information Processing

Background:

  • Conspiracy thinking is often understood through narrative comprehension, where individuals infer goals and plans.
  • This narrative inference is typically applied to fictional stories, not real-world events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore conspiracy thinking as a narrative comprehension process.
  • To investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying conspiracy belief formation.

Main Methods:

  • The study frames conspiracy thinking within the context of narrative comprehension.
  • It examines how individuals process information and supplement it with background knowledge.

Main Results:

  • Conspiracy thinkers exhibit lower levels of cognitive reflection.
  • They disproportionately favor information consistent with their existing perspective.
  • Their knowledge base is often misinformed, deviating from mainstream understanding.

Conclusions:

  • Conspiracy thinking extends narrative comprehension to real-world events, often with biased information processing.
  • Lower cognitive reflection and reliance on misinformation contribute to the formation and maintenance of conspiracy beliefs.