How political falsehoods gain traction — Now let me repeat that...
Repetition: The Key to Spreading Lies
Posted by Ross Pomeroy at Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:33:39
Newton Blog, RealClearScience.com
We'd all like to believe that facts trump falsehoods, but unfortunately this is often not the case. Misinformation is easy to believe, and even easier to spread. An untruth can be repeated into reality by simply bombarding the public via advertisements, news, and social media. It's that easy.
Psychologists are demonstrating that repetition is the prime conduit for shaping beliefs. In the 1940s, Floyd Allport and Milton Lepkin conducted pioneering research demonstrating that newspapers could be used to boost morale for the war effort. By repeating positive headlines, even if they were misleading with the details, the public would believe that events are going smoothly, and would thus stand firmly behind the cause. The tactic worked to great effect.
Over time, studies have shown that repetition leads to familiarity, which is the key to fostering belief. In a 2007 paper published in the journal Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Doctor Norbert Schwarz, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, had this to say....
(Continued here.)
Posted by Ross Pomeroy at Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:33:39
Newton Blog, RealClearScience.com
We'd all like to believe that facts trump falsehoods, but unfortunately this is often not the case. Misinformation is easy to believe, and even easier to spread. An untruth can be repeated into reality by simply bombarding the public via advertisements, news, and social media. It's that easy.
Psychologists are demonstrating that repetition is the prime conduit for shaping beliefs. In the 1940s, Floyd Allport and Milton Lepkin conducted pioneering research demonstrating that newspapers could be used to boost morale for the war effort. By repeating positive headlines, even if they were misleading with the details, the public would believe that events are going smoothly, and would thus stand firmly behind the cause. The tactic worked to great effect.
Over time, studies have shown that repetition leads to familiarity, which is the key to fostering belief. In a 2007 paper published in the journal Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Doctor Norbert Schwarz, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, had this to say....
(Continued here.)
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1 Comments:
I agree with the general premise of the article and would offer as exhibit A those who read Paul Krugman in the NYT and believe they are well informed when it comes to economics. Krugman is entitled to his opinion but not his own set of facts. Vox readers can check out another blog called powerline that recently ran a list of Krugman misinformation that should be of interest to those interested in facts and mot simple talking points.
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