A new study by University College Cork researchers suggests that promoting critical thinking skills is more effective in reducing belief in conspiracy theories than simply dismissing them. The study found that existing methods often encourage people to reject all conspiracies without discerning truth from falsehood.
Public-service announcement posters in Melbourne counter a conspiracy theory that 5G technology causes Covid-19. Photograph: William West/AFP via Getty Images
They often involve powerful organisations or individuals conspiring to achieve a hidden agenda. For instance, a common conspiracy theory is that Covid-19 is a hoax created by governments and pharmaceutical companies to control and manipulate the population. The UCC researchers found existing methods to reduce belief in conspiracy theories “often encourage people to simply dismiss all conspiracies rather than discerning which information is likely to be true from the majority that is not”.
CTAC focuses on how people reason about conspiracy theories versus whether they merely believe in them, which gave researchers a better understanding of their underlying thought process. “Our study introduces a new approach that encourages careful judgment and cautions against automatic scepticism. Our new intervention, which reminds people not to reject an idea just because it’s labelled a conspiracy and discouraged blind scepticism, successfully helped participants better distinguish between plausible and implausible conspiracy theories.”
CONSPIRACY THEORIES CRITICAL THINKING PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PUBLIC HEALTH
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