The efficacy of interventions in reducing belief in conspiracy theories: A systematic review
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Date
2023-04-05
Authors
O'Mahony, Cian
Brassil, Maryanne
Murphy, Gillian
Linehan, Conor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS
Published Version
Abstract
Conspiracy beliefs have become a topic of increasing interest among behavioural researchers. While holding conspiracy beliefs has been associated with several detrimental social, personal, and health consequences, little research has been dedicated to systematically reviewing the methods that could reduce conspiracy beliefs. We conducted a systematic review to identify and assess interventions that have sought to counter conspiracy beliefs. Out of 25 studies (total N = 7179), we found that while the majority of interventions were ineffective in terms of changing conspiracy beliefs, several interventions were particularly effective. Interventions that fostered an analytical mindset or taught critical thinking skills were found to be the most effective in terms of changing conspiracy beliefs. Our findings are important as we develop future research to combat conspiracy beliefs.
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Keywords
Conspiracy beliefs , Critical thinking skills , Priming (psychology) , Database searching , Systematic reviews , Control theory , Cross-cultural studies , Psychological attitudes , Conspiracy interventions
Citation
O’Mahony, C., Brassil, M., Murphy, G. and Linehan, C. (2023) ‘The efficacy of interventions in reducing belief in conspiracy theories: A systematic review’, PLOS ONE, 18(4), e0280902 (18 pp). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280902