Treffer: Guarding against misinformation: a case study of the text processing patterns for those who did and did not acquire misinformation.

Today, people face the prevalent issue of exposure to misinformation. The internet allows for quick access to information; however, information is not always verified for accuracy. Readers can unknowingly read and retain misinformation; it is imperative that readers can apply appropriate strategies for avoiding or overcoming misinformation. We contrasted processing patterns in six adults' think-aloud protocols to examine what types of strategies were associated with protecting oneself against acquiring misinformation about childhood vaccinations and problematic strategies associated with acquiring misinformation. The results suggested that participants who did not acquire misinformation engaged in more self-explanation to challenge the misinformation they encountered. In contrast, those who acquired misinformation did not discount the misinformation and engaged more closely with the texts (e.g. paraphrasing what was read). The patterns in this study indicate the importance of "deeper" and more evaluative meaning-making activities when one is exposed to misinformation to combat its problematic consequences for understanding and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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