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Related Concept Videos

Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

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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?
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Group Polarization01:01

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Group polarization is the strengthening of an original group attitude following the discussion of views within a group (Teger & Pruitt, 1967). That is, if a group initially favors a viewpoint, after discussion the group consensus is likely a stronger endorsement of the viewpoint. Conversely, if the group was initially opposed to a viewpoint, group discussion would likely lead to stronger opposition.
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Groupthink01:34

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When in group settings, we are often influenced by the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around us. Groupthink is another phenomenon of conformity where modification of the opinions of members in a group aligns with what they believe is the group consensus (Janis, 1972). In such situations, the group often takes action that individuals would not perform outside the group setting because groups make more extreme decisions than individuals do. Moreover, groupthink can hinder opposing trains of...
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Hindsight Biases01:12

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Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
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Reason and Intuition01:37

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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...
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Cognitive Dissonance01:38

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Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
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Insight in the Conspiracist's Mind.

Sander Van de Cruys1, Jo Bervoets1, Stephen Gadsby1

  • 1University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc
|September 30, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Conspiracy theorists

Keywords:
aha experienceconspiracy theoriescuriosityindividual differencesinsightmetacognitionpersuasionprocessing fluencysocial cognitiontrust

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Conspiracy theories are often dismissed by scientists.
  • The phrase "do your own research" is commonly used by conspiracy theorists.
  • The psychological underpinnings of conspiracy belief formation require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the information-seeking behaviors of conspiracy theorists.
  • To examine the role of "aha" experiences in the development of conspiracy beliefs.
  • To link the need for epistemic agency to conspiracy theory appeal.

Main Methods:

  • Perspective paper drawing on experimental psychology.
  • Analysis of "aha" experiences and epistemic curiosity.
  • Hypothesizing the role of uncertainty and epistemic exclusion.

Main Results:

  • Conspiracists engage in specific information-seeking activities.
  • "Aha" moments, curiosity, and insight play a role in conspiracy belief.
  • Conspiracy theories can exploit the properties of "aha" experiences.

Conclusions:

  • The appeal of conspiracy theories may stem from psychological needs for autonomous discovery.
  • Increased uncertainty and epistemic exclusion can amplify the need for such agency.
  • Understanding "aha" experiences offers insight into conspiracy belief formation.