Critical thinking training can reduce belief in conspiracy theories, study by UCC psychologists finds
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Fostering critical thinking can be an effective method to reduce people’s tendency to believe in conspiracy theories, an experimental study by University College Cork (UCC) psychologists has found.
The study is the first to directly compare methods used to reduce people’s belief in unfounded conspiracy theories.
It finds many well-established interventions “have either no effect or a negative effect on participants’ ability to correctly reason about conspiracy theories”.
Conspiracy theories have transitioned from fringe phenomena to forces shaping political discourse and public opinion worldwide. They are unverified claims or explanations seeking to connect unrelated events or actions in a way that implies secret or covert co-ordination.
They often involve powerful organisations or individuals conspiring to achieve a hidden agenda. For instance, a common conspiracy theory is that Covid-19 is a hoax created by governments and pharmaceutical companies to control and manipulate the population.
Conspiracy theories are often presented in a compelling manner, appealing to a natural fondness for stories. They are, however, not necessarily false as real examples of conspiracies do exist.
Although holding conspiracy beliefs can have a detrimental impact on personal health, social connection, public health and public democratic citizenship, little research has been conducted to test methods that could reduce people’s belief in them.
The UCC researchers found existing methods to reduce belief in conspiracy theories “often encourage people to simply dismiss all conspiracies rather than discerning which information is likely to be true from the majority that is not”.
They identified a new approach that improves people’s critical thinking and allows participants to distinguish between plausible and implausible conspiracy theories more effectively.
The study, published in Advances in Psychology, used a tool called the “critical thinking about conspiracies assessment” (CTAC) rather than only measuring belief in specific conspiracies such as the faking of the moon landings.
CTAC focuses on how people reason about conspiracy theories versus whether they merely believe in them, which gave researchers a better understanding of their underlying thought process.
Critical thinking skills and an analytical mindset are the most effective means of challenging conspiracy beliefs, said lead researcher Cian O’Mahony of UCC’s School of Applied Psychology.
Content retrieved from: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2025/02/13/critical-thinking-training-can-reduce-belief-in-conspiracy-theories-study-by-ucc-psychologists-finds/.
