How does prestige bias affect information recall during a pandemic?

The prestige theory of evolution states that our memory has an intrinsic bias to memorize information from someone of prestige. However, the evidence for information recall is mainly focused on content bias. Considering that the prestige bias can be advantageous in selecting information in contexts...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-05, Vol.19 (5), p.e0303512-e0303512
Main Authors: Oliveira, Edwine Soares de, Nascimento, André Luiz Borba do, Ferreira Junior, Washington Soares, Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Bias
Biology and Life Sciences
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - psychology
Disease transmission
Epidemics
Evolution
Experiments
Female
Humans
Influence
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental Recall - physiology
Pandemics
Politicians
Power
Recall
SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification
Social networks
Social Sciences
Software
Statistical models
Success
Trust - psychology
Volunteers
Young Adult
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Summary:The prestige theory of evolution states that our memory has an intrinsic bias to memorize information from someone of prestige. However, the evidence for information recall is mainly focused on content bias. Considering that the prestige bias can be advantageous in selecting information in contexts of uncertainty, this study assessed whether, in the scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prestige bias would be favored over other models that do not possess the prestige spirit characteristics. The study was conducted through an online experiment, where participants were subjected to reading fictitious text, followed by a surprise recollection. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model, Poisson family, and logistic regression. The results showed that prestige is only prioritized in the recall due to the family model and does not present any difference from the other models tested. However, it influenced the recall of specific information, suggesting its role as a factor of cultural attraction. Furthermore, we observed that trust in science-oriented profiles can influence the recall of information during a health crisis. Finally, this study highlights the complexity of the functioning of the human mind and how several factors can act simultaneously in the recall of information.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0303512