Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2026

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
Published on: December 24, 2015
Conspiracy Theory Beliefs and Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Biases
1Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Psychology Department, Tbilisi, Georgia Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences Psychology Department Tbilisi Georgia.
Introduction:
this study investigates the relationship between conspiracy theory beliefs and tendency for interpersonal victimhood, and the mediating role of cognitive biases.
Method:
A sample of 245 Georgian nationals (67% female; M age = 28.38 years) completed validated measures of conspiracist ideation (GCB), dysfunctional cognitive biases (DACOBS), and tendency for interpersonal victimhood (TIV).
Results:
Hierarchical regression and parallel mediation analyses (PROCESS Model 4) confirmed that conspiracy beliefs significantly predict TIV (β = .381), and that attention to threat and external attribution bias partially mediate this relationship.
Conclusion:
Endorsement of conspiracy theories may engender a chronic sense of interpersonal victimhood through specific cognitive pathways, with practical implications for psychoeducational and therapeutic intervention.
Related Concept Videos
Fundamental Attribution Error
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Beck's Cognitive Therapy
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Correspondence Bias
Self-Serving Bias
Motivational Bias

