Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses
Date of Award
Spring 4-12-2021
Program
Psychology
Supervisor
Dr. John Mitchell
Abstract
The current study aimed to assess whether individual differences in fluid intelligence, as measured by abstract reasoning, emotional intelligence, and the Big Five personality traits would predict susceptibility to the continued influence effect. A total of 29 undergraduate students at Brescia University College read a news story that contained both misinformation and a retraction and were then tested on that news story. Participants also completed three additional questionnaires measuring personality traits, emotional intelligence, and abstract reasoning. It was predicted that individuals with lower levels of fluid and emotional intelligence, as well as those who scored higher in neuroticism and extraversion would be the most susceptible to the continued influence effect. Results indicated that fluid intelligence, emotional intelligence, and the personality traits were not significant predictors of susceptibility to the continued influence effect, although individuals who exhibited higher levels of fluid intelligence were more likely to remember the retraction.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
McNeil, Brandy F., "The Effect of Individual Difference on the Continued Use of False Information: Intelligence and Personality" (2021). Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses. 31.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/brescia_psych_uht/31