Title

Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning

Summary

The research examines the reasons why individuals are prone to believing false information and determines whether logical reasoning assists in differentiating between genuine and fabricated news stories, regardless of an individual’s political ideology. By administering the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) to 3,446 participants, the study uncovers that higher CRT scores are indicative of better discernment between fake and real news, as well as increased accuracy in identifying authentic news stories, regardless of one’s ideological leanings. The study ultimately concludes that a lack of analytical thinking is a more significant factor in an individual’s susceptibility to fake news than their partisan bias.

 

َAuthor

Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G

Year

2019

َThematic Area

Communication Studies

Topic

Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation

Country

Global

Region

Global

Misinformation Combatting

Misinformation Impact

Place Published

APA 7th End Text Citation

Pennycook, G., & Rand, D. G. (2019). Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning. Cognition, 188, 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.06.011