Bikewer
14th July 2010, 07:21 AM
In a Talk Of The Nation segment yesterday, NPR reported on the phenomenon that indicates believers may not only be unaffected by exposure of facts regarding their particular belief, these facts may actually reinforce the pre-existing belief.
Also on Slashdot this morning:
http://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/07/14/1235220/Given-Truth-the-Misinformed-Believe-Lies-More?from=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot+%28Slashd ot%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
Studies conducted in 2005 and 2006 showed that folks believing in such popular CT items as Obama's birthplace were unconvinced by statements from public-health authorities in Hawaii or even photographs of his birth certificate.
This applies to non-political beliefs as well, as we on the forum are well aware.
The fellow on NPR said that this is largely a self-defense mechanism to avoid cognitive dissonance, the painful situation of trying to reconcile opposite ideas or beliefs.
Rather than just accept the new information, it's more comfortable to stay with the pre-existing notions....
Also on Slashdot this morning:
http://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/07/14/1235220/Given-Truth-the-Misinformed-Believe-Lies-More?from=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot+%28Slashd ot%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo
Studies conducted in 2005 and 2006 showed that folks believing in such popular CT items as Obama's birthplace were unconvinced by statements from public-health authorities in Hawaii or even photographs of his birth certificate.
This applies to non-political beliefs as well, as we on the forum are well aware.
The fellow on NPR said that this is largely a self-defense mechanism to avoid cognitive dissonance, the painful situation of trying to reconcile opposite ideas or beliefs.
Rather than just accept the new information, it's more comfortable to stay with the pre-existing notions....