Can Fact-Checking Influence User Beliefs About Misinformation Claims: An Examination of Contingent Effects
研究了事实核查对用户信念的影响为何不一致，发现主张来源可信度、核查者可信度和态度强度三个条件因素起调节作用，基于900多名参与者的在线实验揭示了这些效应在错误信息周期不同阶段的变化。
Prior research has suggested that corrective fact-checking has inconsistent effects on beliefs about online misinformation claims. This study attempts to explain this inconsistency using three contingent factors—claim-source credibility, fact-checker credibility, and attitude strength—which respectively relate to three key parties in the fact-checking process: the source of a misleading claim, the fact-checker, and the user evaluating the fact-check. I hypothesize the interplay between these factors, which is tested using two online experiments on COVID-19-related misinformation with over 900 participants. Multilevel analysis of pretest-posttest, repeated measures data supports the hypothesized moderating effects and offers additional insights about how these effects vary between earlier versus later phases of misinformation cycles. The paper concludes with a discussion of contributions to research and practice.