1Cademy - Study 1 Methods

Concept

Study 1 Methods

March 12, 2020
853 participants (mean age = 46 years, age range = 18–90; 357 men, 482 women, and 14 other/prefer not to answer)
all participants use Facebook or Twitter
got 15 true and 15 false news headlines from the Harvard Global Health Institute
headlines were presented in the form of Facebook posts
participants were split into two random groups "accuracy" vs "sharing"
those in the "accuracy" group were asked: “To the best of your knowledge, is the claim in the above headline accurate?”
those in the "sharing" group were asked: “Would you consider sharing this story online (for example, through Facebook or Twitter?)”
before the task, participants were asked questions about the pandemic: how concerned they are about COVID-19 and how often they check news related to COVID-19
participants were also given a Cognitive Reflection Test, a general science-knowledge quiz, and Medical Maximizer-Minimizer Scale
political ideology and party alignment were also noted
attention checks were used to ensure participants are actually doing the tasks (asking what the article is about / where it was published)