A latent profile approach to the study of conspiracy belief: Identifying the role of executive functioning

Abstract

The proliferation of conspiracy theories has coincided with advancement in communication technologies. Research has consistently identified the social determinants of conspiracy beliefs, such as social media exposure and peer influence, the impact of cognitive abilities, especially executive function (EF), remains unexplored. This study aimed to explore whether conspiracy beliefs varied with different EF profiles. A sample of 194 participants (M = 35.56; SD = 10.01) completed a questionnaire covering beliefs in six common conspiracy theories and tasks assessing working memory (N-Back), cognitive flexibility (Modified Card Sorting Task), and affective decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task). Latent profile analysis on the cognitive tests identified three distinct EF profiles: Low Cool EF, Moderate Cool EF, and High EF. Notably, the Low Cool EF cohort displayed significantly stronger beliefs in five of the six conspiracy theories than the High EF profile. The Moderate Cool EF profile also showed significantly stronger beliefs in conspiracies relating to personal wellbeing, and Covid-19 compared to the High EF profile. Executive functioning plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual's inclination towards or resistance against conspiracy beliefs. Enhanced cognitive flexibility and working memory enables individuals to critically assess information rather than rigidly subscribing to a singular viewpoint, likely fostering resistance to conspiratorial thinking.