Correct prior knowledge does not shield people from the illusory truth effect

Evidence

Not only did she replicate the illusory truth effect, but her study also revealed an additional insight: prior knowledge does not protect against illusory truth. Participants in the research were more likely, for example, to think that ‘saris are the skirts that Scottish men wear’ after repeated exposure to this claim, even when they had correctly stated at the outset that ‘kilts are the skirts that Scottish men wear’. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 68

In 2015, Lisa Fazio, Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Vanderbilt University, conducted a fascinating study. Not only did she replicate the illusory truth effect, but her study also revealed an additional insight: prior knowledge does not protect against illusory truth. Participants in the research were more likely, for example, to think that ‘saris are the skirts that Scottish men wear’ after repeated exposure to this claim, even when they had correctly stated at the outset that ‘kilts are the skirts that Scottish men wear’. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 68

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the point in the Kanizsa triangle — knowing the illusion doesn’t fix the perceptual bias — and also echoes Adorno on repetition in propaganda. — connects to: Repeating a statement increases belief in its truth regardless of accuracy — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 65; Inoculation theory aims to prevent false beliefs before exposure rather than correct them after — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 30; Propagandists intuited the illusory truth effect long before psychologists verified it. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 66 (+2 more)
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: does interval between initial correct knowledge and later exposure matter for illusory truth strength?
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 68