Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Psychology

Research on the Continued Influence Effect (CIE) of misinformation has long demonstrated that, even after it is corrected, misinformation continues to influence the beliefs and judgements of those exposed to it. Theories have been developed to explain why corrections do not eliminate belief in and influences of the misinformation. In this series of studies, I took a novel approach to examine why corrections reduce belief in misinformation at all (even if not entirely). I examined how the correction can change perceptions of the original source of the misinformation and how these changes in perceptions mediate the continued influence of the misinformation. I also examined causal evidence linking manipulations of misinformation source perceptions to continued belief and to inference-making. Study 1 demonstrated that an external correction (i.e., a new source labeling misinformation as false) influences perceptions of the misinformation source, and perceptions of the misinformation source were correlated with beliefs in the misinformation. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1 and used source derogation to manipulate misinformation source perceptions and further lessen continued belief. Studies 1 and 2 had assessed perceptions of sources both before and after the correction. Therefore, it could be that participants were more sensitive to source perceptions because of asking about them prior to receipt of the correction. In Study 3, therefore, I replicated the results of Study 2 in a larger pre-registered study using a more diverse sample with assessments of misinformation source perceptions and beliefs in the misinformation only after encountering the correction.

Committee: Duane Wegener (Advisor); Richard Petty (Committee Member); Kentaro Fujita (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology