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False memories for true and false vaccination information form in line with pre‐existing vaccine opinions
Author(s) -
Greene Ciara M.,
Saint Laurent Constance,
Hegarty Karen,
Murphy Gillian
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.4002
Subject(s) - misinformation , psychology , false memory , psychological intervention , covid-19 , vaccine safety , social psychology , pandemic , confirmation bias , internet privacy , cognition , medicine , computer security , computer science , immunization , psychiatry , immunology , disease , pathology , antigen , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Misinformation continually threatens efforts to control the COVID‐19 pandemic, with vaccine misinformation now a key concern. False memories for misinformation can influence behavioural intentions, yet little is known about the factors affecting (false) memories for vaccine‐related news items. Across two experiments (total n = 1481), this paper explores the effects of pre‐existing vaccine opinions on reported memories for true and false news items. In Study 1, participants ( n = 817) were exposed to fabricated pro‐ or anti‐vaccine news items, and then asked if they have a memory of this news event having occurred. In Study 2, participants ( n = 646) viewed true pro‐ or anti‐vaccine news items. News items were more likely to be remembered when they aligned with participants' pre‐existing vaccine beliefs, with stronger effects for pro‐vaccine information. We conclude by encouraging researchers to consider the role of attitudinal bias when developing interventions to reduce susceptibility to misinformation.