Relying on System 1 Thinking Leaves You Susceptible to the Peril of Misinformation

Abstract

In the current era of unprecedented cultural and political tension, the growing problem of misinformation has exacerbated social unrest within the online space. Rectifying this issue requires a robust understanding of the underlying factors that lead social media users to believe and spread misinformation. We investigate a set of neurophysiological measures as they relate to users interacting with misinformation, delivered via social media. A rating task, requiring participants to assess the validity of news headlines, reveals a stark contrast between their performance when engaging analytical thinking processes versus automatic thinking processes. We utilize this observation to theorize intervention methods that encourage more analytical thinking processes.