Why Do We Believe Lies Even After They Are Proven Wrong?

Why Do We Believe Lies Even After They Are Proven Wrong?
 
 
By Janice WoodAssociate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 22, 2012
 
 

 
Why does some misinformation “stick” in the public consciousness?
Researchers at The University of Western Australia — who noted several instances of misinformation, such as childhood vaccines cause autism, global warming is a hoax, or President Barack Obama was not born in the United States — say that rejecting information requires more cognitive effort than simply accepting that the message is true.
 
The new study, led by psychologists Drs. Stephan Lewandowsky and Ullrich Ecker, highlights the cognitive factors that make certain pieces of misinformation “stick” and identifies several strategies for “setting the record straight.”
 
Misinformation is especially likely to stick when it conforms to our pre-existing political, religious, or social point of view, according to the researchers. Because of this, ideology and personal worldviews can be especially difficult obstacles to overcome.
 
The report notes that efforts to retract misinformation often backfire and actually lead to the strengthening of an erroneous belief.
 
“This persistence of misinformation has fairly alarming implications in a democracy because people may base decisions on information that, at some level, they know to be false,” Lewandowsky said.
 
“At an individual level, misinformation about health issues — for example, unwarranted fears regarding vaccinations or unwarranted trust in alternative medicine — can do a lot of damage. At a societal level, persistent misinformation about political issues can create considerable harm.
 
“And on a global scale, misinformation about climate change is currently delaying mitigative action.”
 
Though misinformation is difficult to correct, the study highlights several strategies that can help counteract the power of misinformation, including:
 

• Provide people with an alternative account to fill the gap left by the retraction of false information;
  
  
  
  
• Focus on the facts you want to highlight, rather than the myths;
  
  
  
  
• Make sure that the information you want people to take away is simple and brief;
  
  
  
  
• Consider your audience and the beliefs they are likely to hold; and
  
  
  
  
• Strengthen your message through repetition.
  
  
  
  
  

 
The report was published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
Source: The University of Western Australia

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/09/23/why-do-we-believe-lies-even-after-they-are-proven-wrong/45002.html

Interesting on the examples they chose.  I have a friend with an autistic child (now 27) that became autistic very shortly after receiving childhood vaccinations, perfectly normal until then.  Tried to sue and was basically told, "you can't, it is a known acceptable risk"  They never said it wasn't true.  And as for O, I still haven't seen his real birth certificate.

Well, global warming is a hoax. They have changed and revised their predictions umpteen times and worked and reworked their models to try and make them fit the reality, yet the statistics fit a known cycle of variation in solar intensity perfectly and can be shown to match back hundreds of years. Anyone else remember the global cooling, man made ice age the "environmental experts" were touting in the 60's and 70's?

kevin global warming is a hoax really  tell me why the iceburgs are melting at an alarming rate? tell me why there is major trend in warming in areas that are very cold in the winter? why is thje weather patter changed  over the last decade? but there is no gw just a figment of immagination

Actually, the polar ice cap was the largest it has been in 20 years this summer, and the second largest the summer before. There are several well documented cycles in solar activity that are closely linked to historical evidence. There is a shorter one of about 50 years which closely matches meteorological records, another longer term (about 1000 years as I remember,) that closely matches things like the mini ice age and the good years of Renaissance.

Weather patterns change constantly. For instance, this year was one of the quietest Hurricane seasons of the year with much less intensity than normal over all, yet we just saw a killer in the Philippines. BTW it was only the 8th storm in the Eastern Pacific this year.

The reality is that there is a growing number of highly respected scientists who are saying that their previous conclusions are wrong because the models are not correct. Not to mention the various revelations that have come out in recent years about the numbers being "massaged" to match the models. We don't know for sure, but the evidence is growing that the that we are not warming as predicted and the data may be in error. Now I am not saying we have a license to pollute willy nilly, but when the environment becomes an object of worship, our priorities are wrong.

actualy kevin if you go to alaska you will see the glaciers getting smaller and smaller because it is melting due to walmer temps in the air and water. in fact there are certain glaciers that the cruise ship would go and are banned because of the melting

True, they are shrinking, but what the Global Warming proponents don't bother to mention is that the glaciers have been shrinking since the "little ice age" ended in the 1800's. Why? Simple, the solar activity increased and earth began to warm. We sure can't blame greenhouse gases for the change then can we? The cycles are written in history and in nature, and are provable. What can not be proven is what exactly is happening.

Those of us who are in the 60 something or near 60 something category, will remember all of the alarms over global cooling, here is one article: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944914,00.html That, of course proved wrong. The fact is we are not talking about settled science. We do not yet fully understand the mechanisms that control our weather and climate. What we see today does not match what the models predicted, in fact, as each year goes by those deviations are getting larger. That is why more and more thinking scientists are questioning the global warming theory. BTW the Antarctic ice shelf is at a record size this year.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/02/05/in-their-own-words-climate-alarmists-debunk-their-science/

http://nation.foxnews.com/global-warming/2012/04/01/study-refutes-manmade-warming

Personally, I feel that the thought our puny efforts can have a significant effect on God's beautifully designed and executed world is the height of human arrogance.

I know why the glaciers are melting.  It's from all the hot air being expelled by the roos.  

Seriously......  Follow the politics and follow the money.  Isn't that right, Al Gore?