Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Summary In the coronavirus “infodemic,” people are exposed to official recommendations but also to potentially dangerous pseudoscientific advice claimed to protect against COVID‐19. We examined whether irrational beliefs predict adherence to COVID‐19 guidelines as well as susceptibility to such misi...

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Veröffentlicht in:Applied cognitive psychology Jg. 35; H. 2; S. 486 - 496
Hauptverfasser: Teovanović, Predrag, Lukić, Petar, Zupan, Zorana, Lazić, Aleksandra, Ninković, Milica, Žeželj, Iris
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: England Wiley 01.03.2021
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Schlagworte:
Adherence
Beliefs
Bias
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive bias
cognitive biases
Cognitive Processes
Compliance (Psychology)
Conspiracy
conspiracy theories
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccines
COVID‐19 health behavior
Disease Control
Guidelines
Health Behavior
Health beliefs
Immunization Programs
Intention
Intuition
Irrational beliefs
Knowledge Level
knowledge overestimation
Misconceptions
Misinformation
Pandemics
Predictor Variables
Pseudoscience
Sanitation
Susceptibility
pseudoscience
knowledge overestimation
COVID‐19 health behavior
conspiracy theories
cognitive biases
ISSN:0888-4080, 1099-0720
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Zusammenfassung:Summary In the coronavirus “infodemic,” people are exposed to official recommendations but also to potentially dangerous pseudoscientific advice claimed to protect against COVID‐19. We examined whether irrational beliefs predict adherence to COVID‐19 guidelines as well as susceptibility to such misinformation. Irrational beliefs were indexed by belief in COVID‐19 conspiracy theories, COVID‐19 knowledge overestimation, type I error cognitive biases, and cognitive intuition. Participants (N = 407) reported (1) how often they followed guidelines (e.g., handwashing, physical distancing), (2) how often they engaged in pseudoscientific practices (e.g., consuming garlic, colloidal silver), and (3) their intention to receive a COVID‐19 vaccine. Conspiratorial beliefs predicted all three outcomes in line with our expectations. Cognitive intuition and knowledge overestimation predicted lesser adherence to guidelines, while cognitive biases predicted greater adherence, but also greater use of pseudoscientific practices. Our results suggest an important relation between irrational beliefs and health behaviors, with conspiracy theories being the most detrimental.
Bibliographie:Corrections made on 15 December 2020, after first online publication: ORCID iDs have been added and the Funding information removed in this version.
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ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.3770