Correcting the misinformation effect

Summary Decades of memory research have demonstrated a dire need for effective methods of correcting misinformation, particularly once it has been encoded. However, much of this research has exposed participants to misinformation first then provided a correction, and used indirect memory questions....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied cognitive psychology 2019-07, Vol.33 (4), p.585-595
Main Authors: Crozier, William E., Strange, Deryn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
corrections
Credibility
Distortion
Error Correction
Error Patterns
Evaluative Thinking
Experiments
eyewitness
False information
Intervals
Memory
memory distortion
Memory tests
Misconceptions
Misinformation
misinformation effect
Systematic review
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Summary:Summary Decades of memory research have demonstrated a dire need for effective methods of correcting misinformation, particularly once it has been encoded. However, much of this research has exposed participants to misinformation first then provided a correction, and used indirect memory questions. Using a misinformation effect (ME) paradigm, in which participants' memory is distorted by misleading postevent information, we examine whether corrections can combat memory distortion on direct memory tests. Experiment 1 showed corrections greatly reduced the ME. Experiment 2 replicated this finding with a longer lag time (3 min) between exposure to misinformation and its correction, except for participants that read only the misinformation and its correction. Experiment 3 ruled out the possibility that participants reported the most recent information they read, suggesting participants evaluate the correction's veracity. Finally, a meta‐analysis of the three experiments reiterates that corrections may be effective in combating misinformation.
ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.3499