If You Believe It, It’s Truer

Summary: People are more inclined to accept information as true and accurate it aligns with their world view, a new study reveals.

Source: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

A new study illuminates how rapid, involuntary mental processes kick in when responding to statements that correspond with an already held viewpoint, according to a study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The research, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, shows how people’s tendency to remain entrenched in their worldviews is supported by their automatic cognitive “reflexes.”

The team led by Dr. Michael Gilead, head of the Social Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at BGU, found that study participants verified the grammatical accuracy of statements about political topics, personal tastes and social issues much more quickly when they matched their opinion.

In a series of experiments, the researchers asked participants to respond to various opinion statements, such as “The internet has made people more isolated” or “The internet has made people more sociable,” and indicate as quickly as possible if the grammar of the sentence was correct or not. Later, they were asked if they agreed with each statement. Participants identified statements to be grammatically correct more quickly when they agreed with them, which revealed a rapid, involuntary effect of agreement on cognitive processing.

According to Dr. Gilead, “In order to make informed decisions, people need to be able to consider the merits and weaknesses of different opinions and adapt to new information. This involuntary, ‘reflex-like’ tendency to consider things we already believe in as being true, might dampen our ability to think things through in a rational way. Future studies could explore how other factors, such as acute stress or liberal or conservative viewpoints, affect this tendency to accept or reject opinions in a ‘knee-jerk’ manner.”

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Researchers found that study participants verified the grammatical accuracy of statements about political topics, personal tastes and social issues much more quickly when they matched their opinion. NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.

Dr. Gilead collaborated on this research with Moran Sela, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Dr. Anat Maril, a professor in The Hebrew University’s Department of Cognitive Science.

About this neuroscience research article

Source: Andrew Lavin – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Open access research for “That’s My Truth: Evidence for Involuntary Opinion Confirmation” by Michael Gilead, Moran Sela, Anat Maril in Social Psychology and Personality Science. Published April 4 7 2018.
doi:10.1177/1948550618762300

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”] Ben-Gurion University of the Negev “If You Believe It, It’s Truer.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 7 May 2018.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/belief-truth-perception-8979/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”] Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (2018, May 7). If You Believe It, It’s Truer. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved May 7, 2018 from https://neurosciencenews.com/belief-truth-perception-8979/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”] Ben-Gurion University of the Negev “If You Believe It, It’s Truer.” https://neurosciencenews.com/belief-truth-perception-8979/ (accessed May 7, 2018).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

That’s My Truth: Evidence for Involuntary Opinion Confirmation

Past research has investigated deliberate mental acts that allow people to remain entrenched in their convictions. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine whether opinion-confirmation processes can occur involuntarily. We conducted experiments wherein participants made speeded judgments of the grammatical accuracy of statements pertaining to various matters of opinion, and subsequently rated their agreement with those statements. The results show that participants more readily verify the grammaticality of a statement when it corresponds to their opinion. These findings may help explain why opinions are sometimes change resistant, in showing that acceptance (rejection) of confirmatory (contradictory) opinions can occur involuntarily. We discuss possible applications of the paradigm described herein.

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