Conspiracy theory and cognitive style: a worldview

Frontiers in Psychology

Neil Dagnall¹ 

关键词: schizotypy;    delusional ideation;    conspiracist belief;    worldview;    cognitive style;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00206

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

This paper assessed whether belief in conspiracy theories was associated with a particularly cognitive style (worldview). The sample comprised 223 volunteers recruited via convenience sampling and included undergraduates, postgraduates, university employees, and alumni. Respondents completed measures assessing a range of cognitive-perceptual factors (schizotypy, delusional ideation, and hallucination proneness) and conspiratorial beliefs (general attitudes toward conspiracist thinking and endorsement of individual conspiracies). Positive symptoms of schizotypy, particularly the cognitive-perceptual factor, correlated positively with conspiracist beliefs. The best predictor of belief in conspiracies was delusional ideation. Consistent with the notion of a coherent conspiratorial mindset, scores across conspiracy measures correlated strongly. Whilst findings supported the view that belief in conspiracies, within the sub-clinical population, was associated with a delusional thinking style, cognitive-perceptual factors in combination accounted for only 32% of the variance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY