Q

Why might correcting misinformation sometimes backfire in political contexts?

From 5 years of verified research · Vassili Sandqvist
A

The backfire effect occurs when attempts to correct misinformation inadvertently reinforce incorrect beliefs. This is often due to identity threat triggered by the correction, which leads individuals to engage in motivated reasoning to rationalize their original beliefs.

This is one answer. The complete system — the psychology, the biology, and the method — is in the book.

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