The individual's previous expectations for the information can effect how they judge it depending on whether the information meets or clashes with their expectations.

Syracuse University

- psychological distance
- expectation violations
- sources of negativity

Potential Moderators of Negativity Bias

Jaffé, M. E., & Greifeneder, R. (2020). Can that be true or is it fake news? New perspectives on the negativity bias in judgments of truth. In R. Greifeneder, M. Jaffé, E. J. Newman, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), The psychology of fake news: Accepting, sharing, and correcting misinformation (pp. 115–130). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429295379

Can That Be True or Is It Fake News? New Perspectives on the Negativity Bias in Judgments of Truth

Psychological distance is the mindset of individuals and how they process information (how they integrate and weigh veracity cues). When psychological distance is deemed further away, positive information is weighted more heavily. In contrast, when information is psychologically close, negative information is more focused on. 


In relation to conspiracy theory endorsement, threats to one's groups could be deemed "psychologically close," because the threat is near the individual. Because of this, the individual would view the negative information, like a threatening conspiracy theory, to be likely true. This makes the individual more likely to endorse a conspiracy theory.

Psychological Distance as a Moderator of Negativity Bias

There are different ways in which information can be negatively framed. The way information is framed can depend on concept valence or semantic negation. Concept valence, which is whether the information is a positive or negative concept, is more closely related to the effects of negativity bias. Semantic negation is how the information is worded/framed that makes it come off as positive of negative.

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