Misinformation in social interaction: examining the role of discussion

Abstract

ABSTRACT Memory is a reconstructive process that is prone to intrusions and distortions. These processes can be amplified by the emergence and propagation of false information in the social environment. While the acceptance of misinformation is well documented in individual memory tasks, the production of false memories in social interaction contexts presents mixed findings. One factor that may contribute to these inconsistencies is the collaboration method used, which may vary in the opportunities they offer for more (free-for-all) or less (turn-taking) discussion. The current study contrasts these two collaboration methods in misinformation acceptance. Participants watched a video, followed by an individual recall task. Then, they completed a questionnaire containing true and misinformation about the video, individually or in pairs (using free-for-all or turn-taking methods). Finally, participants were given a new individual recall task. Results revealed that participants responding to the questionnaire using the free-for-all method were more accurate and accepted less misinformation (vs. turn-taking and individual conditions). Critically, in the second individual recall, these participants also recalled less misinformation from the questionnaire than those in the turn-taking condition. These results suggest that discussion opportunities during social interaction enhance correction and error-pruning and reduce misinformation acceptance.