Nonprobative Photos Increase Truth, Like, and Share Judgments in a Simulated Social Media Environment

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2019Source: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and CognitionAuthor(s): Elise Fenn, Nicholas Ramsa, Justin Kantner, Kathy Pezdek, Erica AbedAlthough online content contains information from both credible and dubious sources, most Americans use online platforms as a news source. What psychological factors increase the endorsement and spread of information online, both true and false? Given that related but nonprobative photos increase belief in information in laboratory tasks (the “truthiness effect”), such photos may have a related impact on processing information encountered online. Participants rated their belief in, liking of, and desire to share true and false general knowledge statements in a simulated, online social media environment to assess qualities that affect liking and sharing of true and false information. Compared with information presented alone, a nonprobative photo was associated with an increase in belief, liking, and sharing of both true and false information. Photos may increase the processing fluency of statements, affecting belief in and liking of statements, and consequently increasing the likelihood that statements are shared online.
Source: Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research