Loughnan, Dan (2023) Mood, Threat, and Gamified Psychological Inoculation Against Misinformation. Research Master thesis, Research Master.
|
Text
Loughnan_S4945778_BSS_RM_Thesis.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
‘Inoculation games’ such as Go Viral! aim to ‘prebunk’ manipulative techniques of persuasion via psychological inoculation that: (i) instills a motivating perception of threat; and (ii) pre- emptively refutes an attack message. Stylistically similar ‘casual video games’ have been shown to promote happiness. But the Affect Infusion Model predicts information processing effects of a happy mood that could disrupt inoculation. Still, disruptive effects may be extinguished by sufficient motivation, such as that evoked by inoculation’s first step. We ran a preregistered, between-subjects, randomised controlled experiment on Prolific over two phases (UK residents, N = 368, 204 females, mean age 41.71 years). Participants underwent happy or sad mood inductions then either played Go Viral! or watched a control video. Happy mood decreased, and sad mood increased, discernment between reliable and unreliable news headlines. Go Viral! reduced ratings of unreliable news headlines, but results for reliability discernment favoured the control condition. Motivational threat was not higher in the treatment group. Results suggest that Go Viral! may not inoculate. This is the first study to jointly consider mood and threat in inoculation games, and the first to experimentally assess effects of mood states on susceptibility to online misinformation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Research Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Epstude, K. |
| Degree programme: | Research Master |
| Differentiation route: | Social and Organizational Psychology [Research Master] |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Jul 2023 09:40 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2023 09:40 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2526 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |