Authority reliance vs. deliberative assessment in processing online rumors: evidence from fNIRS
By linking source credibility to distinct neural signatures and accuracy outcomes, this work provides a neurocognitive account of how fact-checker authority influences belief updating. The findings highlight that credibility cues can promote heuristic acceptance or more careful analysis, depending on the situation. Furthermore, this evidence can inform more effective rumor-intervention strategies that are sensitive to both source attributes and information type.
Authors
- Xinyue Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1968-2091)
- Yi Ding
- Shuhua Cheng
Institutions
- Zhejiang Financial College (CN)
- Anhui Xinhua University (CN)
- Anhui Polytechnic University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
- Published
- 2026-02-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2026.1750499
- Primary Topic
- Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
- National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences
- Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province
- Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China