Intellectual humility and learning outcomes in online health information-seeking
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Online health information-seeking involves actively trying to resolve uncertainty by searching for, evaluating, and updating knowledge in response to information. The present study examined whether adults learn from brief online health information searches and whether learning outcomes are associated with intellectual humility and access to authoritative sources. In a laboratory study, 111 adults (mean age = 38.95 years, 44.1% women) completed a multi-trial health information-seeking task, answering factual questions before and after online search. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental condition in which they received links to authoritative sources prior to search (n=53) or to a control condition in which no links were provided (n=58). Participants showed improved accuracy (b=1.68, p<0.001) and confidence (b=1.17, p<0.001) following search, but access to authoritative sources did not significantly improve accuracy (b=-0.17, p=0.66) or confidence (b=-0.34, p=0.08) overall. Intellectual humility was positively associated with post-search answer accuracy (b=1.05, p=0.01). Intellectual humility also moderated the effect of authoritative source access on confidence (b=0.92, p=0.01), such that the association between intellectual humility and post-search confidence was stronger when an authoritative source was provided. Findings suggest that access to high-quality information alone may be insufficient for learning and that intellectual humility may help determine how effectively individuals learn from and respond to online health information.
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7164669700
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