The Role of Worldview Congruence in Misinformation Correction: A Bayesian Approach to Belief Updating

Misinformation poses a growing challenge in society, particularly as people seem reluctant to revise discredited information. However, emerging research suggests that people's persistence in believing discredited information is sometimes rational, with individuals applying their own assumptions in a consistent way. In this experimental study, we employ a political vignette with a false accusation to show that even in politically charged contexts, people can correct misinformation and return their beliefs to baseline. Our results demonstrate that participants' belief updating generally aligns with Bayesian predictions, although with a more conservative approach. With regards to source evaluation, participants were more likely to downgrade the reliability of an accuser's claim when it conflicted with their political views but returned to their initial assessments after the correction. This suggests that while worldview can affect source evaluation at the individual level, this effect does not necessarily translate into a broader erosion of institutional credibility. This study enhances our understanding of how worldview influences belief revision and source evaluation, especially in politically sensitive contexts.