Individuals that are exposed to negatively worded claims (i.e. "vaccines do not cause autism") are more susceptible to the familiarity backfire effect. This occurs as long as the subject of the claim is a known and easily processable concept.

Negation Effect

Because individuals are more likely to believe a claim that they have been repeatedly exposed to, they therefore rely on the familiarity of these claims as an indicator of the veracity of these claims.

Johns Hopkins University

People are more likely to believe a claim that they have been exposed to repeatedly. Repetition increases the perception of social consensus, even when it is just one person’s account being repeated multiple times. The effect of repetition of messages is so strong that it can sway people who are unsure and even convince people who know it is false to accept it.


Repetition of Information

Autry, KS, Duarte, SE. Correcting the unknown: Negated corrections may increase belief in misinformation. Appl Cognit Psychol. 2021; 35: 960– 975. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3823

Correcting the unknown: Negated corrections may increase belief in misinformation

Corrections--in doing so, repeating a message--may spread false information to "bystanders" (i.e., people not relevant, even if people who are relevant are corrected). It is suggested by Schwarz & Jalbert (2021) that to avoid this effect, one should reiterate the facts, rather than make corrections.


Effects of Repetition of Information

People often more readily believe information that they hear repeated than they believe novel information.

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