Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
What Are Conspiracy Theories? A Definitional Approach to Their Correlates, Consequences, and Communication
Karen M Douglas1, Robbie M Sutton1
1School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; email: k.douglas@kent.ac.uk, r.sutton@kent.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Conspiracy theories are abundant in social and political discourse, with serious consequences for individuals, groups, and societies. However, psychological scientists have started paying close attention to them only in the past 20 years. We review the spectacular progress that has since been made and some of the limitations of research so far, and we consider the prospects for further progress. To this end, we take a step back to analyze the defining features that make conspiracy theories different in kind from other beliefs and different in degree from each other. We consider how these features determine the adoption, consequences, and transmission of belief in conspiracy theories, even though their role as causal or moderating variables has seldom been examined. We therefore advocate for a research agenda in the study of conspiracy theories that starts-as is routine in fields such as virology and toxicology-with a robust descriptive analysis of the ontology of the entity at its center.
More Related Videos
05:59Author Spotlight: Unlocking New Insights in fNIRS Studies - A Novel Framework for Inter-Brain Synchrony Analysis
Published on: October 6, 2023
10:33Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Related Concept Videos
Cause and Effect
Correlation and Causation
Correlation versus Causation
If the dependent variable increases or decreases when the independent variable increases, there is a positive or negative...
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
Group Polarization
Causality in Epidemiology
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia