How Warnings About False Claims Become Recommendations

38 Pages Posted: 19 Apr 2004

See all articles by Ian Skurnik

Ian Skurnik

University of Toronto

Carolyn Yoon

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business; University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Institute for Social Research (ISR)

Denise C. Park

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Department of Psychology

Norbert Schwarz

University of Southern California - Department of Psychology

Abstract

Telling people that a consumer claim is false can make them misremember it as true. In two experiments older adults were especially susceptible to this "illusion of truth" effect. Repeatedly identifying a claim as false helped older adults remember it as false in the short term, but paradoxically made them more likely to remember it as true after a three-day delay. This unintended effect of repetition comes from increased familiarity with the claim itself, but decreased recollection of the claim's original context. Findings provide insight into susceptibility over time to memory distortions and exploitation via repetition of claims in media and advertising.

Keywords: Older consumers, beliefs, memory, learning, public policy issues

JEL Classification: M30, M31, M37

Suggested Citation

Skurnik, Ian and Yoon, Carolyn and Park, Denise C. and Schwarz, Norbert, How Warnings About False Claims Become Recommendations. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=532202

Ian Skurnik

University of Toronto ( email )

105 St George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6 M5S 3G8
Canada

Carolyn Yoon (Contact Author)

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business ( email )

701 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI MI 48109
United States

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Institute for Social Research (ISR)

Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248
United States

Denise C. Park

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Department of Psychology ( email )

603 East Daniel
Champaign, IL 61820
United States

Norbert Schwarz

University of Southern California - Department of Psychology ( email )

3620 S. McClintock Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061
United States

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