Education lowers fake-news belief but not susceptibility to illusory truth

Evidence

It is true that many studies, including much of my own work, have found that as education increases, the propensity to believe in fake news and conspiracy theories decreases. However, this doesn’t mean that education necessarily protects you from illusory truth, because the underlying psychological mechanism that’s at play is so basic it affects nearly everyone. Estimates suggest that up to 75 per cent of people show evidence of being susceptible to illusory truth from as young as the age of five. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 72

Categorization

• XREF: Clarifies a tension with the common claim that education inoculates against misinformation. — connects to: Conspiratorial belief correlates with lower education and income — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 67; Propagandists intuited the illusory truth effect long before psychologists verified it. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 66; Fact-check warnings fail to stop repeated fake headlines gaining perceived truth — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 70 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Correct prior knowledge does not shield people from the illusory truth effect #corroborates (0.92) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 68