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Do conspiracy theorists think too much or too little?
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third St, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|December 28, 2022
Summary
People believe conspiracy theories because they distrust others and seek complex explanations, often disregarding accuracy. This cognitive style can lead to harmful real-world consequences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Conspiracy theories offer explanations for distressing events, attributing them to powerful, malevolent groups.
- Belief in conspiracy theories often involves rejecting mainstream explanations for more complex, alternative accounts.
- These beliefs are associated with distrust, intuitive thinking, and a disregard for accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the cognitive and psychological factors contributing to belief in conspiracy theories.
- To understand why individuals accept improbable secret plot explanations over more probable ones.
- To investigate the potential negative societal impacts of widespread conspiracy beliefs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of characteristics of conspiracy theorists, including cognitive styles and information-seeking behaviors.
- Examination of the tendency to endorse contradictory conspiracies and reliance on heuristics.
- Exploration of the role of distrust and effortful information gathering in reinforcing beliefs.
Main Results:
- Conspiracy theorists often disregard accuracy, endorse incompatible theories, and exhibit irrational belief patterns.
- They display general distrust and invest significant effort in finding supporting 'evidence'.
- Online misinformation exposure and overestimation of knowledge are likely factors.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the cognitive processes behind conspiracy beliefs is crucial.
- Cognitive elaboration and effort can paradoxically reinforce unfounded beliefs.
- Conspiracy beliefs have detrimental effects, including political disengagement, prejudice, and support for violence.
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