Misinformation, Inoculation & Risk Communication

According to William McGuire (1961), which type of defense is most effective in building resistance to persuasion?

• a) Supportive-only (reinforcing belief)
  

• b) Refutational-only (pre-exposing to counterarguments + refuting them)
  

• c) Passive exposure (allowing people to develop resistance naturally)

• d) None of the above

What is the main limitation of inoculation against misinformation, as found in Wong’s (2023) Singapore study?

• a) People forget the prebunking messages too quickly
  

• b) It is highly effective against all types of misinformation
  

• c) Context, audience trust, and pre-existing beliefs influence effectiveness
  

• d) It only works for political misinformation

Which concept explains why people may resist corrective information after being exposed to misinformation?

• a) Backfire effect
  

• b) Illusory truth effect
  

• c) Confirmation bias
  

• d) All of the above

Van der Linden (2023) describes misinformation as behaving like a:

• a) Financial bubble
  

• b) Virus
  

• c) Echo chamber
  

• d) Network of influence

What psychological mechanism makes people overestimate the truth of a claim after repeated exposure, even if it is false?

• a) Cognitive dissonance
  

• b) Illusory truth effect
  

• c) Primacy effect
  

• d) Recency bias

Which of the following is an effective strategy for “prebunking” misinformation?

• a) Waiting until misinformation spreads before responding
  

• b) Exposing people to weak versions of misinformation with a strong refutation
  

• c) Repeating the falsehood multiple times before refuting it
  

• d) Ignoring misinformation entirely to avoid amplifying it

Which of the following was NOT a key challenge in Wong’s (2023) Singapore study?

• a) Public distrust in government messaging
  

• b) Misinformation spreading faster than prebunking efforts
  

• c) Participants actively seeking out alternative sources
  

• d) Prebunking having a lasting effect for over a year

Which of the following is a potential danger of misinformation inoculation, according to Foolproof?

• a) It may cause information overload
  

• b) It can be misused by bad actors to “inoculate” people against truth
  

• c) It works too well, making people suspicious of all information
  

• d) It makes people more trusting of social media

Why might prebunking be more effective than debunking?

• a) It provides forewarning, making people less susceptible to misinformation
  

• b) It corrects misinformation faster after it has spread
  

• c) It strengthens belief in one’s existing opinions
  

• d) It prevents misinformation from ever being created

McGuire’s (1961) study found that people who only receive supportive arguments for their belief tend to:

• a) Be highly resistant to persuasion
  

• b) Become overconfident and more vulnerable to strong counterarguments
  

• c) Change their beliefs more quickly than expected
  

• d) None of the above