Misinformation and Worldviews in the Post-Truth Information Age: Commentary on Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook

• Published in: Journal of applied research in memory and cognition 2017-12, Vol.6 (4), p.377-381
• Main Authors: Hyman, Ira E., Jalbert, Madeline C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coping Behavior; Debunking; Ethics; Information; Misinformation; Politics; Public Opinion; Retrieval-induced forgetting; Schema theory; Social Capital; Society; Truth; Worldviews
• ISSN: 2211-3681; 2211-369X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.09.009

Comments on an article by Stephan Lewandowsky, Ullrich K.H. Ecker & John Cook (see record 2017-57700-001). Based on combating misinformation, Lewandowsky et al. made narrow recommendations for future cognitive research, including the generalization of inoculation techniques, the long-term effects of information discernment programs, the optimum novelty of alternative information, the effect of truthfulness indicators, and the impact of misinformation on the general idea of truth. To a certain extent, Lewandowsky et al. acknowledged that the issues involved in misinformation in the post-truth era concern world views. They stated that a variety of factors “have created an alternative epistemology that does not conform to conventional standards of evidentiary support”. Unfortunately, while Lewandowsky et al. acknowledged that world views matter, they argued against addressing worldviews. They stated that for corrections to be effective “they must not directly challenge people’s worldview”. Their argument was partially based on backfire effects such that people reaffirm their belief systems in the face of contrary evidence. Additionally, Lewandowsky et al. were concerned with the ethical implications that come with trying to modify individuals’ world views. Therefore, Lewandowsky et al. argued that “worldview ought to be decoupled from the propensity to accept misinformation and resist its correction”. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)