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 pseudoscien...tific practices. Our results suggest an important relation between irrational beliefs and health behaviors, with conspiracy theories being the most detrimental.
TY - JOUR
AU - Teovanović, Predrag
AU - Lukić, Petar
AU - Zupan, Zorana
AU - Lazić, Aleksandra
AU - Ninković, Milica
AU - Žeželj, Iris
PY - 2021
UR - http://rfasper.fasper.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1323
AB - 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.
PB - Wiley, Hoboken
T2 - Applied Cognitive Psychology
T1 - Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID-19 pandemic
EP - 496
EP -
IS - 2
SP - 486
VL - 35
DO - 10.1002/acp.3770
ER -
@article{
author = "Teovanović, Predrag and Lukić, Petar and Zupan, Zorana and Lazić, Aleksandra and Ninković, Milica and Žeželj, Iris",
year = "2021",
abstract = "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.",
publisher = "Wiley, Hoboken",
journal = "Applied Cognitive Psychology",
title = "Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID-19 pandemic",
pages = "496--486",
number = "2",
volume = "35",
doi = "10.1002/acp.3770"
}
Teovanović, P., Lukić, P., Zupan, Z., Lazić, A., Ninković, M.,& Žeželj, I.. (2021). Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. in Applied Cognitive Psychology
Wiley, Hoboken., 35(2), 486-496.
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3770
Teovanović P, Lukić P, Zupan Z, Lazić A, Ninković M, Žeželj I. Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. in Applied Cognitive Psychology. 2021;35(2):486-496.
doi:10.1002/acp.3770 .
Teovanović, Predrag, Lukić, Petar, Zupan, Zorana, Lazić, Aleksandra, Ninković, Milica, Žeželj, Iris, "Irrational beliefs differentially predict adherence to guidelines and pseudoscientific practices during the COVID-19 pandemic" in Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35, no. 2 (2021):486-496,
https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3770 . .
