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The Mnemonic Effect of Central and Peripheral Misinformation Online
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Description: The increased use of social media has amplified the spread of false information. Yet little is known about the mnemonic consequences associated with exposure to different types of false information online. In two studies, we examined in a simulated online context how exposure to false information either central or peripheral in events affected memory in European Americans and Asians. European American and Asian college students (Study 1 N = 200; Study 2 N = 225) were presented with GIFs of daily life events and read tweets about the events that included four types of information: central true information, central false information, peripheral true information, and peripheral false information. They then took a True/False recognition test and indicated how confident they were in their responses. Across both studies, participants of the two cultural groups falsely recognized tweeted central and peripheral false information more than untweeted false information. Furthermore, they falsely recognized tweeted peripheral false information the most and showed the least resistance to it. Asian participants were less influenced by misinformation overall than European Americans in Study 2. These findings have important implications to combat misinformation in online environments.