Cognitive reasoning¶
The role of reasoning and analytic thinking—including cognitive reflection, dual-process theories, and individual differences—in evaluating information, making judgments, and resisting misinformation.
Key videos¶
- Accuracy, Reasoning, and Misinformation — Empirical evidence from 40+ studies (25,000+ participants) that reasoning (measured by the Cognitive Reflection Test) is the primary mechanism distinguishing misinformation-susceptible from resistant individuals; shows reasoning helps people uncover truth rather than just rationalizing ideology; demonstrates accuracy-nudge interventions can substantially increase critical evaluation of headlines
Key papers and articles¶
- Acerbi (2019) — Cognitive attraction and online misinformation — systematic analysis of evolved cognitive preferences that make narratives appealing: threat-related content, negative framing, social information, and disgust elements; frames individual differences in cognitive susceptibility as expressions of universal evolved biases
- Roozenbeek & van der Linden (2019) — Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation — shows that cognitive reasoning improvements through active inoculation training are effective independent of baseline cognitive reflection ability
- Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained — Pennycook & Rand on analytic thinking as a driver of fake news resistance