Library:Misinformation and Its Correction
| Misinformation and Its Correction | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephan Lewandowsky, Ullrich Ecker, Colleen Seifert, Norbert Schwarz and John Cook |
| First published | 2012 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | Culture, Religion & Society Technology & Media Health & Medicine |
| Tactics | Fabrication |
Misinformation and Its Correction is a 2012 review by Stephan Lewandowsky, Ullrich Ecker, Colleen Seifert, Norbert Schwarz and John Cook. It appeared in Psychological Science in the Public Interest 13, no. 3 (2012).
Summary
This review by cognitive psychologists summarized decades of research on why misinformation persists after it has been corrected.
The continued influence effect
The authors explain that people often keep relying on false information even after accepting a correction, especially when the correction leaves a gap in their explanation of events. Repetition, worldview and the way corrections are worded all affect whether debunking works.
Recommendations
They recommend providing an alternative explanation to fill the gap, warning people before they encounter misinformation, repeating the correction rather than the myth, and keeping corrections simple. These recommendations later informed guides such as The Debunking Handbook.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
The scientific basis for how Bullshitopedia entries are structured: explain the claim, then replace it with what the evidence shows.