False Memories for Fake News During Ireland’s Abortion Referendum
Gillian Murphy, Elizabeth F. Loftus, Rebecca Hofstein Grady, Linda J. Levine, Ciara M. Greene
Abstract
<jats:p> The current study examined false memories in the week preceding the 2018 Irish abortion referendum. Participants ( N = 3,140) viewed six news stories concerning campaign events—two fabricated and four authentic. Almost half of the sample reported a false memory for at least one fabricated event, with more than one third of participants reporting a specific memory of the event. “Yes” voters (those in favor of legalizing abortion) were more likely than “no” voters to “remember” a fabricated scandal regarding the campaign to vote “no,” and “no” voters were more likely than “yes” voters to “remember” a fabricated scandal regarding the campaign to vote “yes.” This difference was particularly strong for voters of low cognitive ability. A subsequent warning about possible misinformation slightly reduced rates of false memories but did not eliminate these effects. This study suggests that voters in a real-world political campaign are most susceptible to forming false memories for fake news that aligns with their beliefs, in particular if they have low cognitive ability. </jats:p>
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Community Reviews
kayo
12/9/2025
No rating
- Lower cog ability didn't globally increase false memories but instead associated w/ increased effect of ideological congruence on false memories - high cog ability may allow individuals to overcome the biasing effect of political orientation & more effectively monitor the sources of their memories - Political-orientation & cog-ability effects persisted despite warnings of fake news; suggests that effects can't simply be eliminated by encouraging stricter source monitoring