Stable Truthiness Across the Lifespan

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

After seeing non-probative (not diagnostic of truth) but related photos appear with true-or-false trivia statements, people are inclined to believe the statements—truthiness (Newman et al., 2012). Truthiness is not exclusive to trivia claims. Non-probative but related photos have also been shown to increase perceived credibility of both expert and non-expert witnesses in forensic contexts (Derksen et al., 2020; Sanson et al., 2020), increase the propensity for people to develop false memories for past events (Cardwell et al., 2016), and increase ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ in a social media environment (Fenn et al., 2019). The theoretical explanation with the most empirical support is that truthiness occurs because non-probative photos make it feel subjectively easier to process claims (i.e., increase processing fluency) compared to when no photo is present (Jacoby & Dallas, 1981; Whittlesea, 1993). Specifically, a photo may help people imagine and process a claim more rapidly (Cardwell et al., 2017; Schwarz & Newman, 2017). That is, truthiness occurs when people use fluency as a signal for truth (Newman et al., 2015; see also fluency misattribution, Jacoby & Whitehouse, 1989). To our knowledge, truthiness has not been studied across different age groups; however, there may be age-related differences in this effect. For example, children may be more likely to rely on a non-probative photo for information if they lack knowledge or experience with the subject matter (see Strough et al., 2011). Further, older adults may be less likely to rely on a non-probative, related photo if they use their large store of general knowledge to answer trivia claims instead of relying on fluency-based cues (See Brazier et al., 2017). Alternatively, older adults may show more truthiness if they rely on a less thorough information search when deciding on a response (Mata & Nunes, 2010). We tested whether the magnitude of truthiness (the number of photo-present compared to the number of photo-absent statements rated ‘true’) changed as a function of participants’ age in a diverse lifespan sample using materials appropriate for all ages. Participants [N = 413, Age range 3-87] were recruited across two testing environments (i.e., a community science center and a psychology lab). Results showed that testing environment did not affect the data pattern, so we collapsed across this variable. We observed truthiness, collapsed across age [paired-sample t = 4.13, p < 0.001, dz = 0.20], and a weak correlation between truthiness and age [r = -0.1, p = 0.047]. We conclude that truthiness is present and relatively stable across the lifespan. Thus, even very young children fall victim to truthiness. To further clarify the truthiness x age relationship, future research should examine the youngest and oldest age groups and possible moderating factors, such as general intelligence. We live in an era of misinformation and constantly encounter media with non-probative photos. It is critical that we understand how media affects our evaluations of truth and whether that varies across the lifespan.

Authors

• Daniel G. Derksen, Simon Fraser University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Megan E. Giroux, Simon Fraser University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eryn J Newman, The Australian National University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel Mark Bernstein, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
  Presenting Author