The international team of scientists has developed a message that teaches people to think openly and critically thinks and reduce trust in false news and conspiracy theories. The work was published in the magazine of "Experimental Social Psychology" (JESP).
The authors of the experiment have checked whether the simple explanation of cognitive errors, such as extremely trust, ignoring alternative views, or only the choice of confirming facts can strengthen the so-called "actively open thinking". The style of this thinking implies willingness to review the beliefs and the willingness to evaluate the evidence more carefully.
Within the framework of the study, the participants were shown short text, warning. Be very assured in your position, look for alternatives and don't comment on any facts as confirmation of your own views. "Don't believe everything you can see," the statement said.
In two online studies, scientists have shown that such a "vaccination" block significantly increases the level of open thinking. As a result, people differ better and false rumors are less likely to share false news online and less likely to believe in plotting theories.
"The main thing is not to teach people what to think, but to show them how to think. We have found that critical thinking provides wider protection against misinformation than the analysis of specific fraud, "one of the authors of the study, psychologist of Kenti University Mickey Biddleston.
Translation of: Euromedia24.com
