Susceptibility to cancer misinformation: Predictors of false belief and false memory formation

Previous research has shown that people sometimes come to believe in misinformation presented in the form of fake news, and even form false memories for the fabricated events described. This study aimed to investigate the effects of analytical reasoning, attitudes to complementary and alternative me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied cognitive psychology Vol. 38; no. 1
Main Authors King, Nora, Greene, Ciara M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2024
Subjects
Alternative medicine
Cancer
cancer misinformation
Cancer therapies
Cognitive style
Confabulation
fake news
False belief
false memory
False recall
Health education
health misinformation
Memories
Memory
Misinformation
News
Public health
Receptivity
Susceptibility
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Summary:Previous research has shown that people sometimes come to believe in misinformation presented in the form of fake news, and even form false memories for the fabricated events described. This study aimed to investigate the effects of analytical reasoning, attitudes to complementary and alternative medicine, bullshit receptivity, and previous experience with cancer on the formation of false memory and false belief for cancer related misinformation. Participants (N = 466) were exposed to four fake news stories and four true news stories relating to cancer treatment and services. Male gender, low analytical reasoning, receptivity to bullshit, and endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine were all significant predictors of belief in cancer misinformation, while participants with poor analytical reasoning or higher receptivity to bullshit reported more false memories for fake news stories. These results indicate that reflexive, intuitive thinking styles contribute to susceptibility to cancer misinformation, suggesting a potential target for public health interventions.
ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.4184