The Effect of Warning on the Continued Influence of Misinformation

Abstract

Research examining the continued influence effect (CIE) finds that belief in misinformation tends to persist even after the misinformation has been corrected. Subsequent work also suggests that continued influence is especially likely when the misinformation is consistent with recipients’ attitudes. The present study investigated whether pre-emptive warning about the CIE might make later corrections more effective and whether such warnings might reduce the influence of attitudes on belief in corrected misinformation. Participants’ gun control attitudes were assessed, and they were either warned about the CIE or not. Then, among other pieces of information, participants saw a piece of pro-gun control misinformation and a correction. The relation between attitudes and belief in corrected misinformation belief was significant in the no-warning condition but not in the warning condition. However, the difference in attitude-belief relations between conditions was not significant. These findings replicated past work showing that attitude congruency might have important influences on the CIE. Though the pattern of results was consistent with the notion that warnings of the CIE might reduce attitudinal influences, I cannot conclude that is the case based on the present study.