Remember that fake news you read? It may help you remember even more


Date:
October 16, 2020
Source:
Association for Psychological Science
Summary:
Thinking back on a time you encountered false information or
'fake news' may prime your brain to better recall truthful memories.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== People who receive reminders of past misinformation may form new factual memories with greater fidelity, according to an article published in
the journal Psychological Science.


==========================================================================
Past research highlights one insidious side of fake news: The more you encounter the same misinformation -- for instance, that world governments
are covering up the existence of flying saucers -- the more familiar
and potentially believable that false information becomes.

New research, however, has found that reminders of past misinformation can
help protect against remembering misinformation as true while improving recollection of real-world events and information.

"Reminding people of previous encounters with fake news can improve
memory and beliefs for facts that correct misinformation," said
Christopher Wahlheim, a lead author on the paper and assistant professor
of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "This
suggests that pointing out conflicting information could improve the comprehension of truth in some situations." Wahlheim and colleagues
conducted two experiments examining whether reminders of misinformation
could improve memory for and beliefs in corrections. Study participants
were shown corrections of news and information they may have encountered
in the past. Reminders of past misinformation appeared before some
corrections but not others. Study results showed that misinformation
reminders increased the participants' recall of facts and belief
accuracy. The researchers interpreted the results to indicate that misinformation reminders raise awareness of discrepancies and promote
memory updating. These results may be pertinent to individuals who
confront misinformation frequently.

"It suggests that there may be benefits to learning how someone was
being misleading. This knowledge may inform strategies that people use
to counteract high exposure to misinformation spread for political gain," Wahlheim said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Association_for_Psychological_Science. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Christopher N. Wahlheim, Timothy R. Alexander, Carson
D. Peske. Reminders
of Everyday Misinformation Statements Can Enhance Memory
for and Beliefs in Corrections of Those Statements in the
Short Term. Psychological Science, 2020; 31 (10): 1325 DOI:
10.1177/0956797620952797 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201016132013.htm

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