The Truth Behind the Misinformation Effect [Poster]

Abstract

In the current study, the misinformation effect will be explored. Misinformation acceptance occurs when a misleading statement is presented to a participant who subsequently incorporates the information into a memory. In this study, the tendency to accept misinformation will be compared for males/females and civilians/cadets. A convenience sample of undergraduate psychology students will view a video from youtube.com. After the video, participants will receive a questionnaire consisting of demographic questions and open-ended questions about the video. Participants will then watch the video a second time and will be randomly assigned to the control group (only video-based items on the questionnaire) or to the experimental group (both video-based and misleading questions (misinformation) on the questionnaire). It is hypothesized that females and cadets will be more likely to accept misinformation (measured by participants answering the misinformation questions) than will males and civilians. Results will be analyzed via a 2X2X2 ANOVA. [Poster]