Abstract
A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the extent of continued influence of misinformation in the face of correction and the theoretical explanations of this phenomenon. Aggregation of results from 32 studies (N = 6,527) revealed that, on average, correction does not entirely eliminate the effect of misinformation (r = –.05, p =.045). Corrective messages were found to be more successful when they are coherent, consistent with the audience’s worldview, and delivered by the source of the misinformation itself. Corrections are less effective if the misinformation was attributed to a credible source, the misinformation has been repeated multiple times prior to correction, or when there was a time lag between the delivery of the misinformation and the correction. These findings are consistent with predictions based on theories of mental models and offer concrete recommendations for practitioners.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Communication Research |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2019 |
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Keywords
- continued influence
- correction
- meta-analysis
- misinformation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language
Cite this
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A Meta-Analytic Examination of the Continued Influence of Misinformation in the Face of Correction : How Powerful Is It, Why Does It Happen, and How to Stop It? / Walter, Nathan; Tukachinsky, Riva.
In: Communication Research, 01.01.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - A Meta-Analytic Examination of the Continued Influence of Misinformation in the Face of Correction
T2 - How Powerful Is It, Why Does It Happen, and How to Stop It?
AU - Walter, Nathan
AU - Tukachinsky, Riva
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the extent of continued influence of misinformation in the face of correction and the theoretical explanations of this phenomenon. Aggregation of results from 32 studies (N = 6,527) revealed that, on average, correction does not entirely eliminate the effect of misinformation (r = –.05, p =.045). Corrective messages were found to be more successful when they are coherent, consistent with the audience’s worldview, and delivered by the source of the misinformation itself. Corrections are less effective if the misinformation was attributed to a credible source, the misinformation has been repeated multiple times prior to correction, or when there was a time lag between the delivery of the misinformation and the correction. These findings are consistent with predictions based on theories of mental models and offer concrete recommendations for practitioners.
AB - A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the extent of continued influence of misinformation in the face of correction and the theoretical explanations of this phenomenon. Aggregation of results from 32 studies (N = 6,527) revealed that, on average, correction does not entirely eliminate the effect of misinformation (r = –.05, p =.045). Corrective messages were found to be more successful when they are coherent, consistent with the audience’s worldview, and delivered by the source of the misinformation itself. Corrections are less effective if the misinformation was attributed to a credible source, the misinformation has been repeated multiple times prior to correction, or when there was a time lag between the delivery of the misinformation and the correction. These findings are consistent with predictions based on theories of mental models and offer concrete recommendations for practitioners.
KW - continued influence
KW - correction
KW - meta-analysis
KW - misinformation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068214958&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85068214958&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0093650219854600
DO - 10.1177/0093650219854600
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85068214958
JO - Communication Research
JF - Communication Research
SN - 0093-6502
ER -