Cognitive Reflection

Cognitive reflection refers to the propensity to engage in analytical, deliberative thinking rather than relying on intuitive responses. Often measured using the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which presents problems with intuitively compelling but incorrect answers, requiring analytical override to solve correctly.

Key finding

Research shows that individual differences in cognitive reflection—as measured by the CRT—predict a wide range of real-world outcomes relevant to misinformation, including susceptibility to false news, conspiracy theories, and other epistemically suspect beliefs. Beyond beliefs, cognitive reflection also predicts actual social media behavior: higher CRT scorers are more discerning in which accounts they follow and which news sources they share.

Key papers

• Cognitive reflection correlates with behavior on Twitter — Field evidence linking CRT to discerning social media behavior and identification of cognitive echo chambers