People reflexively accept
information as accurate if it aligns with their worldview
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
A new study illuminates how rapid, involuntary mental processes
kick in when responding to statements that correspond with an already held
viewpoint, according to a study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev (BGU) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The research, published in Social Psychological and
Personality Science, shows how people's tendency to remain entrenched in
their worldviews is supported by their automatic cognitive
"reflexes."
The team led by Dr. Michael Gilead, head of the Social Cognitive
Neuroscience Laboratory at BGU, found that study participants verified the
grammatical accuracy of statements about political topics, personal tastes and
social issues much more quickly when they matched their opinion.
In a series of experiments, the researchers asked participants
to respond to various opinion statements, such as "The internet has made
people more isolated" or "The internet has made people more
sociable," and indicate as quickly as possible if the grammar of the
sentence was correct or not.
Later, they were asked if they agreed with each statement. Participants identified statements to be grammatically correct more quickly when they agreed with them, which revealed a rapid, involuntary effect of agreement on cognitive processing.
Later, they were asked if they agreed with each statement. Participants identified statements to be grammatically correct more quickly when they agreed with them, which revealed a rapid, involuntary effect of agreement on cognitive processing.
According to Dr. Gilead, "In order to make informed
decisions, people need to be able to consider the merits and weaknesses of
different opinions and adapt to new information. This involuntary,
'reflex-like' tendency to consider things we already believe in as being true,
might dampen our ability to think things through in a rational way. Future
studies could explore how other factors, such as acute stress or liberal or
conservative viewpoints, affect this tendency to accept or reject opinions in a
'knee-jerk' manner."
Dr. Gilead collaborated on this research with Moran Sela, a
doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, and Dr. Anat Maril, a professor in The Hebrew University's
Department of Cognitive Science.
