Repetition, Not Number of Sources, Increases Both Susceptibility to Misinformation and Confidence in the Accuracy of Eyewitnesses

Acta Psychologica, Vol. 139, pp. 320-326, 2012

UC Irvine School of Law Research Paper No. 2012-4

8 Pages Posted: 2 Feb 2012 Last revised: 3 Jun 2012

See all articles by Jeffrey Foster

Jeffrey Foster

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Thomas Huthwaite

Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka

Julia Yesberg

University College London - Department of Security and Crime Science

Maryanne Garry

Victoria University of Wellington, School of Psychology

Elizabeth F. Loftus

University of California, Irvine - Department of Psychological Science; University of California, Irvine School of Law

Date Written: February 2, 2012

Abstract

Are claims more credible when made by multiple sources, or is it the repetition of claims that matters? Some research suggests that claims have more credibility when independent sources make them. Yet, other research suggests that simply repeating information makes it more accessible and encourages reliance on automatic processes - factors known to change people's judgments. In Experiment 1, people took part in a “misinformation” study: people first watched a video of a crime and later read eyewitness reports attributed to one or three different eyewitnesses who made misleading claims in either one report or repeated the same misleading claims across all three reports. In Experiment 2, people who had not seen any videos read those same reports and indicated how confident they were that each claim happened in the original event. People were more misled by - and more confident about - claims that were repeated, regardless of how many eyewitnesses made them. We hypothesize that people interpreted the familiarity of repeated claims as markers of accuracy. These findings fit with research showing that repeating information makes it seem more true, and highlight the power of a single repeated voice.

Suggested Citation

Foster, Jeffrey and Huthwaite, Thomas and Yesberg, Julia and Garry, Maryanne and Loftus, Elizabeth F., Repetition, Not Number of Sources, Increases Both Susceptibility to Misinformation and Confidence in the Accuracy of Eyewitnesses (February 2, 2012). Acta Psychologica, Vol. 139, pp. 320-326, 2012 , UC Irvine School of Law Research Paper No. 2012-4, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1998302 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1998302

Jeffrey Foster

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Thomas Huthwaite

Victoria University of Wellington - Te Herenga Waka

P.O. Box 600
Wellington, 6140
New Zealand

Julia Yesberg

University College London - Department of Security and Crime Science

Maryanne Garry (Contact Author)

Victoria University of Wellington, School of Psychology ( email )

Room 508, Easterfield Building
Kelburn Pde, Kelbun Campus
Wellington, 6140
New Zealand
04 463 5769 (Phone)
04 463 5402 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/psyc/staff/maryanne-garry.aspx

Elizabeth F. Loftus

University of California, Irvine - Department of Psychological Science ( email )

4201 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-7085
United States

University of California, Irvine School of Law

401 E. Peltason Dr.
Ste. 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-1000
United States

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