On Known Unknowns: Fluency and the Neural Mechanisms of Illusory Truth

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Wei-Chun WangRoberto Cabeza

Abstract

The "illusory truth" effect refers to the phenomenon whereby repetition of a statement increases its likelihood of being judged true. This phenomenon has important implications for how we come to believe oft-repeated information that may be misleading or unknown. Behavioral evidence indicates that fluency, the subjective ease experienced while processing information, underlies this effect. This suggests that illusory truth should be mediated by brain regions previously linked to fluency, such as the perirhinal cortex (PRC). To investigate this possibility, we scanned participants with fMRI while they rated the truth of unknown statements, half of which were presented earlier (i.e., repeated). The only brain region that showed an interaction between repetition and ratings of perceived truth was PRC, where activity increased with truth ratings for repeated, but not for new, statements. This finding supports the hypothesis that illusory truth is mediated by a fluency mechanism and further strengthens the link between PRC and fluency.

References

Sep 17, 1999·Consciousness and Cognition·R Reber, N Schwarz
Mar 7, 2001·Psychological Science·M S McGlone, J Tofighbakhsh
Mar 18, 2003·Neuropsychologia·Susan L RossellA Christina Nobre
Apr 18, 2003·Hippocampus·R N A HensonM D Rugg
Aug 21, 2003·Progress in Neurobiology·R N A Henson
Oct 19, 2004·Hippocampus·Gail O'KaneAnthony D Wagner
Nov 5, 2004·The European Journal of Neuroscience·R R DaviesJohn R Hodges
Apr 1, 2005·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Christian J FiebachGernot G Supp
May 21, 2005·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Jason P MitchellDaniel L Schacter
Apr 25, 2006·Hippocampus·Daniela MontaldiAndrew R Mayes
May 17, 2006·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Kirsten I TaylorLorraine K Tyler
Jun 2, 2006·Journal of Neurophysiology·S M DaselaarR Cabeza
Jun 30, 2006·Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition·Colleen M Parks, Jeffrey P Toth
Apr 10, 2007·Annual Review of Neuroscience·H EichenbaumC Ranganath
Oct 2, 2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ben BowlesStefan Köhler
Nov 24, 2007·Cerebral Cortex·Reza Habib, Lars Nyberg
May 16, 2008·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Pierre GagnepainKarine Lebreton
Jul 30, 2009·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Adam L Alter, Daniel M Oppenheimer
Dec 22, 2009·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Alice DechêneMichaela Wänke
Dec 26, 2009·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Matthew D Lieberman, William A Cunningham
Mar 30, 2010·Journal of Health Psychology·Cornelia BetschCorina Ulshöfer
Jun 10, 2010·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Katharina Henke
Dec 15, 2010·Neuron·Wei-Chun WangAndrew P Yonelinas
Apr 14, 2011·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·Ilana T Z Dew, Roberto Cabeza
Oct 8, 2011·Consciousness and Cognition·Linda A Henkel, Mark E Mattson
Dec 1, 2010·Review of Philosophy and Psychology·Rolf Reber, Christian Unkelbach
Nov 20, 2012·Neuropsychologia·Katrien SegaertPeter Hagoort
Jun 21, 2013·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Matthew E MundyKim S Graham
Sep 6, 2013·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Ilana T Z Dew, Roberto Cabeza
Sep 1, 2012·Cognitive Neuroscience·Wei-Chun Wang, Andrew P Yonelinas
Nov 22, 2013·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Rose BruffaertsRik Vandenberghe
Jan 31, 2014·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Thomas P ReberKatharina Henke
Apr 8, 2014·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Shana A HallDorthe Berntsen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 6, 2018·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Wei-Chun WangRoberto Cabeza
Jan 18, 2019·Learning & Memory·Carlos Alexandre GomesHubert Zimmer
Dec 4, 2019·PeerJ·Nicolas Brunet, Bharathi Jagadeesh
Sep 14, 2019·Annual Review of Psychology·Nadia M Brashier, Elizabeth J Marsh
Sep 24, 2020·Memory & Cognition·Nikita A SalovichDavid N Rapp
Sep 17, 2020·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Matthew L StanleyElizabeth J Marsh
Nov 6, 2020·Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications·Dustin P Calvillo, Thomas J Smelter
Jan 15, 2021·Behavior Research Methods·Jennifer H Coane, Sharda Umanath
Feb 3, 2018·Neuropsychologia·Wei-Chun WangRoberto Cabeza
Mar 20, 2021·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Gordon Pennycook, David G Rand
May 6, 2021·Psychophysiology·Carlos A GomesAndrew Mayes
May 30, 2021·Memory & Cognition·Cloé Gratton, Henry Markovits

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Carla L HarenskiKent A Kiehl
The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Ilana T Z Dew, Roberto Cabeza
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Volker Schulz
Review of Philosophy and Psychology
R Reber, Christian Unkelbach
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved