Conspiracy theory and cognitive style: a worldview.

Neil Dagnall,Andrew Denovan,Megan Parton,Kenneth Drinkwater,Andrew Parker

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00206

Neil Dagnall, Andrew Denovan + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00206

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Journal: Frontiers in psychology	Publication Date: Feb 25, 2015
Citations: 116	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Manchester Metropolitan University

Abstract

This paper assessed whether belief in conspiracy theories was associated with a particularly cognitive style (worldview). The sample comprised 223 volunteers recruited via convenience sampling and included undergraduates, postgraduates, university employees, and alumni. Respondents completed measures assessing a range of cognitive-perceptual factors (schizotypy, delusional ideation, and hallucination proneness) and conspiratorial beliefs (general attitudes toward conspiracist thinking and endorsement of individual conspiracies). Positive symptoms of schizotypy, particularly the cognitive-perceptual factor, correlated positively with conspiracist beliefs. The best predictor of belief in conspiracies was delusional ideation. Consistent with the notion of a coherent conspiratorial mindset, scores across conspiracy measures correlated strongly. Whilst findings supported the view that belief in conspiracies, within the sub-clinical population, was associated with a delusional thinking style, cognitive-perceptual factors in combination accounted for only 32% of the variance.

Highlights

The study of conspiracism is important for myriad reasons
The present paper examined the notion of conspiracist cognitive style
As hypothesized, conspiracist thinking was associated with positive schizotypy

Summary

Introduction

Conspiracy theories persist within the general population (Goertzel, 1994), are frequently endorsed, and may influence perceptions of significant contemporary (e.g., transmission of ebola) and historical real world events (e.g., moon landings; Swami et al, 2010). Almost a third of the American population believed that Barack Obama unconstitutionally ascended to the US presidency (Uscinski et al, 2011). Conspiracy theories are not always false (e.g., Watergate), they typically lack evidential support and are generally resistant to falsification (Sutton and Douglas, 2014). Belief in conspiracies may effect behavior and have important social consequences, such as diminished social engagement (society, politics, health behaviors, climate change, etc.; Butler et al, 1995; Bird and Bogart, 2005; Jolley and Douglas, 2014)

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