A prosocial fake news intervention with durable effects

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Media Studies
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Eastern Europe faces challenges with weak free press and state-sponsored misinformation.
• Psychological interventions are needed to combat the growing problem of fake news.
• Prosocial values can be leveraged to motivate behavior change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test an online, family-based intervention promoting prosocial values to enhance fake news recognition in young adults.
• To evaluate the intervention's effectiveness in Eastern Europe, a region with high misinformation exposure.
• To assess the intervention's impact on both fake news accuracy and bullshit receptivity.

Main Methods:

• A preregistered randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• Participants were assigned to either an intervention group or an active control group.
• Intervention participants adopted an expert role, writing a letter to relatives about fake news recognition strategies.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed immediate and persistent improvements in fake news accuracy ratings compared to the control group.
• Participants in the intervention group exhibited reduced bullshit receptivity, both short-term and long-term.
• Effect sizes for fake news accuracy were d=0.32 immediately post-intervention and d=0.22 at four-week follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Family-based prosocial values can effectively motivate young adults to resist fake news.
• This psychological intervention offers a novel approach to combating misinformation, particularly in vulnerable regions.
• The findings highlight the potential of leveraging social bonds for behavior change in digital literacy efforts.