Participants were presented with items from the GCB scale as well as examples of real conspiracies from history. The participants in the experimental group were then asked to rate how believable each "conspiracy theory was". In the control group participants were asked the same question but the term "conspiracy theory" was replaced with the word "idea". The difference of the label did not appear to alter how believable participants found each statement.

"Conspiracy Theory" VS "Idea" believability experiment 

All participants were shown the same fake news article about a supposed political scandal in Canada. Above this fake article, the experimental group saw a headline that read "Conspiracy Theories Emerge in Wake of Canadian Election Result", while the control group participants were shown a similar headline but with the term "conspiracy theory replaced with "corruption allegations". All participants were then asked to rate how much they believed the allegations described in the article. The differing headlines did not appear to impact how likely one was to believe the article.

"Conspiracy Theory" VS “Corruption Allegations” believability experiment

Although labeling an idea a "conspiracy theory" has not been found to impact the believability of that idea, there may be more negative connotations associated with individuals who believe in conspiracies than there are for the theories themselves.

Is labeling a person "a conspiracy theorist" an effective way to negatively shape how others view that person?

1. If an individual has already fully formed an opinion about a particular conspiracy, how it is labeled is unlikely to change that opinion.

2. Positive  dipictions of conspiracies in popular media may make "conspiracy theory " an ambivilant label. rather an a negative one.

3. Individuals may categorize information independantly of how others label it.

4. The "conspiracy theory" label may have been over used in recent years and now lacks potency. 

Possible reasons labeling something a conspiracy theory doesn't make it less believable

Wood (2016) conducted two different studies to determine if labeling something as a conspiracy theory makes it less believable. Both studies found that labeling something as a conspiracy theory did not impact how likely one was to believe it.

Pepperdine University

The term "conspiracy theory" is stigmatized and often used to deflect or dismiss claims as being outrageous. The term is rarely used in refrance to one's own beliefs and is more frequently used to paint opposing beliefs in a negative light.

Negative connotations of the term "Conspiracy Theory"

Labels can powerfully impact the way one assesses and interacts with information. Some labels have been known to distort perception and cause individuals to jump to inaccurate conclusions or misinterpret information.

The impact of labels on the assessment of information

Wood, M.J. (2016). Some dare call it conspiracy: Labeling something a conspiracy theory does not reduce belief in it. Political Psychology, 37(5), 695-705. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12285.

Some Dare Call It Conspiracy: Labeling Something a Conspiracy Theory Does Not Reduce Belief in It

The impact of labeling something a "conspiracy theory"

Studies have shown that teachers and health professionals often evaluate students' and patients' behavior differently when they have been told that the student or patient has a mental health condition or learning disability. This has been demonstrated even when the label is inaccurate.

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