1
|
Martínez N, Barberia I, Rodríguez-Ferreiro J. Proneness to false memory generation predicts pseudoscientific belief endorsement. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:39. [PMID: 38902418 PMCID: PMC11190135 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00568-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Among cognitive factors that can influence the endorsement of pseudoscientific beliefs, our study focuses on proneness to false memory generation. In this preregistered study, we presented 170 fluent English speakers residing in the USA with a misinformation task aimed at generating false memories. In this task, they first completed an event encoding stage, in which two events were narrated through sequentially presented pictures. One day later, they read a series of sentences relating the same events but which included several inaccurate descriptions aimed at producing a misinformation effect. Finally, we measured the influence of the misinformation manipulation over false memory generation. After completing the misinformation task, participants responded to a questionnaire measuring pseudoscientific beliefs. Our results showed a positive correlation between pseudoscience endorsement and false memory rates, which indicates that the latter might be a key factor influencing susceptibility to pseudoscience. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing a link between the tendency to believe in pseudoscience and variability regarding proneness to develop false memories. Practical implications for the design of new interventions to effectively reduce pseudoscientific beliefs and their negative impact on our society are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naroa Martínez
- Grup de Recerca en Cognició i Llenguatge (GRECIL), Departament de Cognició, Desenvolupament i Psicologia de la Educació, Secció de Processos Cognitius, Institut de Neurociències (INUB), Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Passeig de La Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Itxaso Barberia
- Grup de Recerca en Cognició i Llenguatge (GRECIL), Departament de Cognició, Desenvolupament i Psicologia de la Educació, Secció de Processos Cognitius, Institut de Neurociències (INUB), Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Passeig de La Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Rodríguez-Ferreiro
- Grup de Recerca en Cognició i Llenguatge (GRECIL), Departament de Cognició, Desenvolupament i Psicologia de la Educació, Secció de Processos Cognitius, Institut de Neurociències (INUB), Facultat de Psicologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Passeig de La Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Leon CS, Bonilla M, Brusco LI, Forcato C, Benítez FU. Fake news and false memory formation in the psychology debate. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2023; 15:24-30. [PMID: 37359499 PMCID: PMC10285207 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Fake news can generate memory distortions and influence people's behavior. Within the framework of the great debates, the tendency to generate false memories from fake news seems to be modulated by the ideological alignment of each individual. This effect has been observed mainly around issues involving large sectors of society, but little is known about its impact on smaller-scale discussions focused on more specific populations. In this work we examine the formation of false memories from fake news in the debate between psychological currents in Argentina. For this, 326 individuals aligned to psychoanalysis (PSA) or Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) observed a series of news (12 true and 8 fabricated). The EBP group remembered or believed more fake news that damaged PSA. They also remembered with greater precision the statements of the news that harmed their own school, than those referring to others. These results could be understood as the product of an imbalance in the commitment between the different parties, since the group that proposes the paradigm shift (EBP) exhibited a congruence effect, while the group whose orientation is hegemonic in this field (PSA) did not show any effect of ideological alignment. The fact that the congruence effect is manifested to some extent in settings as relevant as the education of mental health professionals, highlights the need to move towards more careful practices in the consumption and production of media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Candela S. Leon
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matías Bonilla
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luis I. Brusco
- CENECON, Centro de Neuropsiquiatría y Neurología de la Conducta (CENECON), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Forcato
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Urreta Benítez
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Innocence Project Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schacter DL, Greene CM, Murphy G. Bias and constructive processes in a self-memory system. Memory 2023:1-10. [PMID: 37410514 PMCID: PMC10770298 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2232568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Martin Conway's influential theorising about the self-memory system (Conway, M. A., & Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. (2000). The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychological Review, 107(2), 261-288) illuminated how the "working self" influences the construction of autobiographical memories. Moreover, his constructive view of self and memory is compatible with the occurrence of various kinds of errors and distortions in remembering. Here we consider one of the "seven sins" of memory Schacter, D. L. (2021). The seven sins of memory updated edition: How the mind forgets and remembers. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) that we believe is most closely related to the operation of Conway's self-memory system: bias, which refers to the role of current knowledge, beliefs, and feelings in shaping and sometimes distorting memories for past experiences and attitudes. More specifically, we discuss recent research on three forms of bias - consistency, self-enhancing, and positivity biases - that illuminate their role in influencing how people remember the past and also imagine the future. We consider both theoretical and applied aspects of these biases and, consistent with Conway's perspective, argue that despite sometimes contributing to inaccuracies, bias also serves adaptive functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ciara M. Greene
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gillian Murphy
- School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Calvillo DP, Harris JD, Hawkins WC. Partisan bias in false memories for misinformation about the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. Memory 2023; 31:137-146. [PMID: 36170037 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2127771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTMemory for events can be biased. For example, people tend to recall more events that support than oppose their current worldview. The present study examined partisan bias in memory for events related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot in the United States. Participants rated their memory for true and false events that were either favourable to their political party or the other major political party in the United States. For both true and false events, participants remembered more events that favoured their political party. Regression analyses showed that the number of false memories that participants reported was positively associated with their tendency to support conspiracy beliefs and with their self-reported engagement with the Capitol riot. These results suggest that Democrats and Republicans remember the Capitol Riot differently and that certain individual difference factors can predict the formation of false memories in this context. Misinformation played an influential role in the Capitol riot and understanding differences in memory for this event is beneficial to avoiding similar tragedies in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dustin P Calvillo
- Psychology Department, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA
| | - Justin D Harris
- Psychology Department, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA
| | - Whitney C Hawkins
- Psychology Department, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Greene CM, de Saint Laurent C, Hegarty K, Murphy G. False memories for true and false vaccination information form in line with pre-existing vaccine opinions. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 36:ACP4002. [PMID: 36250192 PMCID: PMC9537901 DOI: 10.1002/acp.4002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Misinformation continually threatens efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic, with vaccine misinformation now a key concern. False memories for misinformation can influence behavioural intentions, yet little is known about the factors affecting (false) memories for vaccine-related news items. Across two experiments (total n = 1481), this paper explores the effects of pre-existing vaccine opinions on reported memories for true and false news items. In Study 1, participants (n = 817) were exposed to fabricated pro- or anti-vaccine news items, and then asked if they have a memory of this news event having occurred. In Study 2, participants (n = 646) viewed true pro- or anti-vaccine news items. News items were more likely to be remembered when they aligned with participants' pre-existing vaccine beliefs, with stronger effects for pro-vaccine information. We conclude by encouraging researchers to consider the role of attitudinal bias when developing interventions to reduce susceptibility to misinformation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ciara M. Greene
- School of PsychologyUniversity College DublinDublin 4Ireland
| | | | - Karen Hegarty
- School of PsychologyUniversity College DublinDublin 4Ireland
| | - Gillian Murphy
- School of Applied PsychologyUniversity College CorkCorkIreland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Greene CM, Donnelly O, Garvin C, Murphy G. Investigating false memories among "winners" and "losers" in the prisoner's dilemma. Memory 2022; 30:1334-1348. [PMID: 36018782 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2115515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTMany legal cases hinge on evaluating the veracity of two versions of events ("he said, she said"). Expert witnesses are often called upon to testify on the malleability of memory, most often testifying for the defence. This may lead to the theoretically unfounded assumption that it is only victims who are vulnerable to distorted memories of a crime. Inspired by this question, we conducted a series of five experiments in which 2010 participants played a novel version of the Prisoner's Dilemma. Participants could either betray their partner in the game ("winners") or be betrayed by their partner ("losers"). We exposed participants to misinformation concerning the other player's statements to assess whether winners and losers may be differentially susceptible to false memories of the event in question. Across our experiments, including where real financial rewards were at stake, we found that winners were just as susceptible as losers to memory distortion. We highlight the need to consider the possibility of faulty memory affecting all parties to in legal cases, though further research is needed beyond this highly artificial paradigm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ciara M Greene
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Oisín Donnelly
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Chris Garvin
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gillian Murphy
- School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|