Miserable But Validated: The Role of Validation and Belongingness in Selective Exposure Biases

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Authors

Hillman, James G

Date

2024-09-05

Type

thesis

Language

eng

Keyword

Selective Exposure , Attitude , Cognitive Bias , Belonging , Social Consensus , Social Validation

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Abstract

Selective exposure, the tendency to preferentially seek information consistent with one’s beliefs, has been implicated in consumption of disinformation and political polarization. However, divisive information is often intentionally inflammatory, and present theories predict that people in neutral to positive moods should find inflammatory (i.e., affectively negative) information aversive. In the present series of studies, I aim to assess five hypotheses. In Study 1 I assessed whether people bias toward validating but negative news when searching for information (H1), whether people’s bias toward validating information is associated with the extremity of their beliefs (H2), and whether they anticipate their selections of validating but negative news will reduce their mood (H3). Using a selection task where participants choose between pairs of validating negative and invalidating positive articles, I found general support for H1 – H3. In Study 2 I used a 2x2 design to compare the relative effect of article validation and valence. Again, I found support for H1 – H3. Further I found that the magnitude of bias mediated a relationship between individuals with more extreme beliefs anticipating feeling reduced mood after reading their selected articles, but only for participants who were presented validating negative articles. In Study 3 and 4 I found correlational and experimental evidence that the biasing effect was stronger when people were invalidated (via social consensus) than when they were validated (H4). In Study 5 I found experimental evidence that biasing effect was stronger when people were socially excluded (using a Cyberball manipulation) than when they were socially included (H5). The results of this study demonstrate a robust effect of social variables on people’s information selection preferences, such that invalidation and social exclusion exacerbated biases in information selection, even when information was negative, and likely to make people feel worse.

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