How Metacognition Affects Information Seeking in Ambiguous News
Author Information
Author(s): Valentin Guigon, Marie Claire Villeval, Jean-Claude Dreher
Primary Institution: Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod (ISCMJ), CNRS UMR 5229 and Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France
Hypothesis
Does metacognition guide our decisions to seek further information when assessing ambiguous news?
Conclusion
Participants' confidence in their judgments about ambiguous news did not predict their accuracy, indicating a limited ability to assess veracity.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants' average success rate in judging news veracity was 51.6%, indicating performance at chance level.
- Confidence in judgments was found to be uncalibrated, showing no correlation with actual success rates.
- Participants were more likely to demand extra information when their confidence was low.
Takeaway
When people read unclear news, how sure they feel about their judgment affects whether they want to find out more, even if they're not right.
Methodology
Participants evaluated the veracity of ambiguous news and reported their confidence, then decided whether to seek additional information.
Potential Biases
Participants may have overestimated their ability to judge news accuracy, leading to misinformed decisions.
Limitations
The study focused only on headlines and did not explore other media formats, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 18-34, with 131 females and 127 males.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
[2.62, 3.07]
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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