Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: How do we assess the veracity of ambiguous news, and does metacognition guide our decisions to seek further information? In a controlled experiment, participants evaluated the veracity of ambiguous news and decided whether to seek extra information. Confidence in their veracity judgments did not predict accuracy, showing limited metacognitive ability when facing ambiguous news. Despite this, confidence in one's judgment was the primary driver of the demand for additional information about the news. Lower confidence predicted a stronger desire for extra information, regardless of the veracity judgment. Two key news characteristics led individuals to confidently misinterpret both true and fake news. News imprecision and news tendency to polarize opinions increased the likelihood of misjudgment, highlighting individuals' vulnerability to ambiguity. Structural equation modeling revealed that the demand for disambiguating information, driven by uncalibrated metacognition, became increasingly ineffective as individuals are drawn in by the ambiguity of the news. Our results underscore the importance of metacognitive abilities in mediating the relationship between assessing ambiguous information and the decision to seek or avoid more information.
Source: Communications Psychology
Institutions: Lyon 1 Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St Etienne, Université Jean Monnet, École de management de Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, IZA - Institute of Labor Economics
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,090
Awards: G1291134351, G14109637, G1416082926, G2039374035, G2418904852, G247940636, G2936332253, Neurocomputational mechanisms of information propagation in social networks, G4774453313, G4866930200, Impacts of stress and sex hormones on the adolescent brain, Construction, Fonction Cognitive et Réhabilitation du Cerveau, G7279457309, IDEXLYON, G8247062983, G8936884176
OpenAlex ID: W4404168065