The elephant in the room : prior exposure to misinformation and correction effect

Abstract

Prior exposure to misinformation has been shown to increase beliefs associated with that misinformation when it is seen again, which is called the repetition effect, a phenomenon not unusual but understudied. This study aims to examine the influence of prior exposure to misinformation on misinformation effect in experimental settings. Using data from an experiment embedded in an online survey (N = 1,645), the current study examined the effect of prior exposure to misinformation in two commonly observed scenarios: a misinformation condition and a correction condition. The results confirmed the existence of the repetition effect by showing that presenting corrections may not protect individuals with prior exposure to misinformation when it is seen again. In addition, the more the individuals trusted the correction sources, the more they believed in the misinformation they had been exposed to. Knowledge can sometimes weaken, but cannot eradicate, the effect of prior misinformation exposure. The findings raise questions of study design concerning misinformation on balancing between external validity and confounding effects of repeated exposure to real-life misinformation. Also, it provokes thoughts and reassessment on theories of motivated reasoning and selective exposure, as well as the role of knowledge in combating misinformation.