Probability and Conspiratorial Thinking

Autor/inn/en	Kovic, Marko; Füchslin, Tobias
Titel	Probability and Conspiratorial Thinking
Quelle	In: Applied Cognitive Psychology, 32 (2018) 3, S.390-400 (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Kovic, Marko)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0888-4080
DOI	10.1002/acp.3408
Schlagwörter	Antisocial Behavior; Beliefs; Theories; Probability; Fiction; Cognitive Processes; Heuristics; Coping + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Belief; Glaube; Theory; Theorie; Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung; Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie; Fiktion; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Heuristik; Bewältigung
Abstract	Conspiracy theories as alternative explanations for events and states of affairs enjoy widespread popularity. We test one possible explanation for why people are prone to conspiratorial thinking: We hypothesize that conspiratorial thinking as an explanation for events increases as the probability of those events decreases. In order to test this hypothesis, we have conducted five experiments in which participants were exposed to different information about probabilities of fictional events. The results of all experiments support the hypothesis: The lower the probability of an event, the stronger participants embrace conspiratorial explanations. Conspiratorial thinking, we conclude, potentially represents a cognitive heuristic: A coping mechanism for uncertainty. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01