Repeated truths eventually overcome even motivated reasoners’ resistance

Evidence

Although the forces of motivated reasoning, confirmation bias, and some of the other influences we have talked about in this book are strong, remember that empirical evidence suggests that the repetition of true facts does eventually have an effect. … Redlawsk and colleagues discovered experimental evidence that “an affective tipping point does in fact exist,” which suggests that “voters are not immune to disconfirming information after all, even when initially acting as motivated reasoners.” James Kuklinski and colleagues learned in another study that although misinformed beliefs can be quite stubborn, it is possible to change partisans’ minds when one “hits them between the eyes” over and over with factually correct information. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 322

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Fighting post-truth requires doubting one’s own favored beliefs first — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 330; Repeating a statement increases belief in its truth regardless of accuracy — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 65; Fact-challenging arises from motive to protect beliefs and enables political domination — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 49 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Resisting disconfirming evidence only becomes dogmatism after repeated failures #qualifies (0.85) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2636
• Repeated false accusation can generate belief through sheer illocutionary force #contradicts (0.80) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1466
• Cognitive dissonance strengthens rather than weakens false beliefs under contrary evidence #contradicts (0.80) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1798
• Self-research motivated by a challenge produced rapid belief abandonment #corroborates (0.80) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 200
• People change their own minds; persuasion attempts play a small role #corroborates (0.80) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 215
• Belief perseverance persists even when evidence establishing it is shown false #complicates (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2586
• Repeating a false claim to debunk it increases its plausibility #complicates (0.72) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 164