But the facts are not Our findings about dead conspiracy theories are the latest and most extreme in a growing body of research that demonstrates the persuasive power of facts and evidence. For example, while it was once believed that correcting lies that fit one’s politics would only cause people to dig in and believe them, the idea of “Backfire” itself has been debunked: Many studies consistently find this improvement and Warning labels undermine belief In the void, and the sharing of it – even among those who are the most Distrust fact checkers Making reforms. Likewise, evidence-based Arguments can change the minds of the parties on political issues, even when he is actively reminded that this argument is against his position as party leader. And straightforward Reminding people to think about whether the content is accurate or not This can greatly reduce the spread of misinformation before they are shared.
And if the facts are not dead, then there is hope for democracy – although this requires a consensus of facts from which rival factions can operate. There is indeed widespread partial disagreement over basic facts, and a disturbing level of belief in conspiracy theories. Yet this does not necessarily mean that our minds are inextricably linked to our politics and identities. When faced with evidence – even painful or painful evidence do it Change their thinking in response. And so if it is possible to disseminate accurate information widely, perhaps with the help of AI, we may be able to re-establish the common ground of facts that society has lost today.
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Thomas Costello is Assistant Professor of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. His research integrates psychology, political science, and human-computer interaction to examine where our perspectives come from, how they differ from person to person, and why they change—as well as the large-scale impact of artificial intelligence on these processes.
Gordon Pennycock is the Dorothy and Ariz Mehta Faculty Leadership Fellow and Associate Professor of Psychology at Cornell University. He examines the causes and consequences of analytic reasoning, exploring how intuitive versus deliberate thinking shapes decision-making to understand errors such as climate inaction, health-related behaviors, and political polarization.
David Rand is a professor of information science, marketing and management communication, and psychology at Cornell University. He draws from computational social science and cognitive science to explore how human-A dialogue can correct false beliefs, why people lie, and how to reduce political polarization and promote cooperation.