Communicating veracity: The impact of emotion and multimodal resources for correcting online misinformation in older adults

ABSTRACT

This dissertation research project explored the impact of emotion (positive or negative) and presentational modality (text-only, multimodal, motion imbued styles) in correcting online misinformation for older adults. Using the theoretical foundation of the heuristic and systematic processing model, along with the emotion-based broaden and build and socioemotional selectivity theories, participants (N=302), in an online experiment, were exposed to social media misinformation rebuttals for two topics that vaccines cause magnetism and COVID can be cured through the intake of vitamin supplements (such as Vitamin C or D). Results showcased the effectiveness of crafting positively framed misinformation corrections for the bolstering of message credibility within typically incongruent ideological groups, and in the use of motion within correctional content for the elevation of positive affect. Additionally, this study also exposed a link between medical mistrust and the perceived credibility toward vaccine and COVID-19 misinformation corrections, a reminder for health communication practitioners of the underlying political factors behind belief in health misinformation. Lastly, results from a thought-listing exercise displayed the prominence of heuristic thinking styles with rare exceptions for systematic processing spurned by skepticism and a desire to preserve original vaccination and COVID-19 beliefs. For scholars and practitioners, results, in general, point to a de facto reliance on heuristic cues in the evaluation of online information, with important considerations for systematic processing, and two, the use of positive affect in aiding the acceptance of misinformation corrections that may run counter to the beliefs of your target audience. This lends credibility to theories that prioritize the use of positive emotion for bolstering message reception and effectiveness for older adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)