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Myth-busters have the odds against them
Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach
Contrary to the conventional notion that people absorb information in a deliberate manner, the studies show that the brain uses subconscious “rules of thumb” that can bias it into thinking that false information is true. Clever manipulators can take advantage of this tendency.
Why Public Denials May Only Fuel Conspiracy Theories
Three Common Psychological Biases
- The “availability heuristic” is the pronounced tendency of people to view any story through the lens of a superficially similar story that comes easily to mind or is psychologically available
- Another common psychological failing is called the “anchoring effect” and refers to our tendency to credit and easily become attached to the first number we hear about a particular phenomeno
- “Confirmation bias” refers to the way we check a hypothesis by looking for occurrences that confirm it (as well as our amazing perspicacity) and ignoring those that do not
