John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
A recent study conducted by Stanford psychology scholars reveals that political alignment influences news consumption more than the truth itself. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General on October 10, indicate that this tendency spans across different political affiliations, education levels, and reasoning abilities.
Lead author Michael Schwalbe, a postdoctoral scholar in Stanford's Department of Psychology, stated, "We saw an effect of people being more influenced by political alignment than truth." He noted that this pattern was observed on both sides of the political spectrum and even among individuals who performed well on reasoning tests.
The research highlighted how partisanship impacts news analysis. For instance, those who were most confident in their political side's objectivity were found to be the most biased. Additionally, partisan bias had a stronger effect on real news compared to fake news. Geoffrey L. Cohen, senior author and professor at Stanford, remarked, "Everyone thinks it’s the other person who is the problem."
The study was based on research from 2020 with a sample reflecting the U.S. voting-age population demographics. It included supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump during his re-election campaign. Cohen explained that differences in methodology might account for contradictions with earlier studies.
Researchers created fictional headlines such as “Trump Beats Grandmaster Chess Champion” to test belief biases among participants. The results showed that people tended to believe headlines aligning with their views over true but opposing ones.
Schwalbe identified extreme views of Trump and one-sided media diets as strong predictors of bias. The researchers suggest interventions like "pre-bunking" or proactive fact-checking to address these issues.
Cohen emphasized teaching intellectual humility as crucial since disbelief in true news also poses a challenge. He stated that further investigation is necessary to fully understand this problem.
Cohen is also known for his book "Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides," which discusses overcoming biases that divide society.
Additional contributors to the study include Katie Joseff and Samuel Wooley.
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