tl;dr - literally idiots fall for misinfo.

Summary on “Who Falls for Misinformation and Why?” by Hubeny, Nahon, Ng, and Gawronski.

Study Overview

This research investigated who falls for misinformation and why, using Signal Detection Theory (SDT) to identify three distinct factors affecting misinformation susceptibility:

1. Truth sensitivity: Ability to distinguish true from false information
2. Acceptance threshold: General tendency to accept information as true
3. Myside bias: Tendency to accept information congruent with one’s views

The researchers conducted two studies examining associations between 15 individual-difference dimensions and misinformation susceptibility: Study 1 with political misinformation (274 participants) and Study 2 with COVID-19 vaccine misinformation (222 participants).

Key Findings

Who Falls for Misinformation

People were more likely to believe misinformation if they had:

• Lower cognitive reflection abilities
• Lower actively open-minded thinking
• Higher bullshit receptivity (tendency to find random statements profound)
• Higher conspiracy mentality

Why They Fall for Misinformation

The research revealed these associations were primarily driven by differences in truth sensitivity. People with high cognitive reflection and actively open-minded thinking showed better ability to distinguish true from false information, while those high in bullshit receptivity and conspiracy mentality showed poorer ability.

A bifactor model analysis revealed these four dimensions are largely driven by a single underlying factor the authors call “reflective open-mindedness.”

Acceptance Threshold and Myside Bias

While individual differences in acceptance threshold and myside bias both contributed to misinformation susceptibility, none of the 15 individual-difference dimensions showed reliable associations with these factors across both studies.

Theoretical Contributions

• Demonstrates that multiple factors affect misinformation susceptibility
• Shows that analytical reasoning (cognitive reflection, AOT) may reduce misinformation belief through improved truth sensitivity, but is unlikely to affect belief driven by low acceptance threshold or myside bias
• Identifies a major gap in understanding individual differences in acceptance threshold and myside bias
• Provides evidence for general propensities to fall for misinformation across different content domains

This research suggests that while we understand what makes people better at distinguishing true from false information (truth sensitivity), we don’t yet understand what makes some people have higher acceptance thresholds or show stronger myside bias.