The Illusory Truth Effect

In the communications industry, it is important to know about several communication theories to know about so that you can avoid false information at all costs. One of these theories is the Illusory Truth Effect. In its basic definition, the Illusory Truth Effect is the tendency to believe in false information to be correct after repeated exposure. This effect was first identified by Lynn Hasher, David Goldstein, and Thomas Toppino in 1977 at Villanova University and Temple University. Even though this effect was identified just a few decades ago, this theory was unknowingly used constantly throughout history.

When it comes to the Illusory Truth Effect, there's one very important thing about it that everybody should be aware of. The thing is that no matter how intelligent you think you are, everybody is prone to the illusory truth effect whether they know it or not. You can see the effects of this theory everywhere. Throughout the internet, it has been shown again and again that people always connect the truth with repetition. Some examples of the Illusory Truth Effect have commonly heard phrases such as humans can only use 10% of their brains, Vitamin C cures the common cold, and crime is at an all-time high. Despite the constant amount of times you've heard these phrases, none of them are actually true.




For years, politicians, marketers, news media, and propaganda would use this effect. Especially politicians and marketers who are known as masters for manipulating this cognitive bias. For example, if a politician were to spread false information about a rival political candidate and would repeat the ad on TV, then it can cause people to believe it. Another example of the Illusory Truth Effect can be seen from President Trump during the Mueller investigations. During the investigations, President Trump repeatedly called it a "witch hunt" and a "hoax" over a hundred times. Eventually, people would see those tweets and soon begin to believe it is a witch hunt.

In a 2012 study done at Central Washington University, researchers found that "repetition is what makes fake news work too." Another study even showed that people found a false headline to be more convincing regardless if that headline fit their political beliefs or not. So, after reading about all this you may be asking yourself, why do we mix the truth with repetition? Well, the short answer is humans, we do this to ourselves. According to an article, this effect comes from the fact that our brains find it easier to process information we've already encountered numerous times before. So if anyone is to blame, it's your brain for attempting to make it easier for you to remember things. Like I mentioned earlier, everybody is prone to it no matter what, but the best way to not be fooled by the illusory truth effect is to know that it exists. Next time, if you read something that just feels a little bit too good to be true, but you're not sure why to look into further and find out if it's true or not.

In my personal opinion, there is nothing good that comes from the illusory truth effect. All the effect does is help spread false information to millions of people most of the time. It's a theory that really doesn't have a pro, but has a lot of cons instead.\

Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-future-self/201911/fake-news-and-the-illusory-truth-effect
https://www.wired.com/2017/02/dont-believe-lies-just-people-repeat/