The role of self-evaluation in predicting attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories: A direct and a conceptual replication of Cichoka et al. (2016)

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

We examined the role of people’s self-evaluation in predicting their attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories by replicating and extending the findings of a study by Cichocka et al. (2016, Study 3) in two preregistered studies (total N = 1179). Study 1, a direct replication, confirmed that narcissism and self-esteem—two different sources of people’s self-evaluation—differentially predicted their beliefs in a series of well-known conspiracy theories (not related to COVID-19), and served as mutual suppressor variables. Specifically, narcissism was positively related and self-esteem was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs, especially when the respective other predictor was controlled for. Study 2 extended Cichocka’s and our Study 1’s findings by testing the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism in predicting a COVID-19-specific criterion. Specifically, we focused on people’s rejection of supporters of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, a criterion we deem particularly important in curtailing the spread of these theories. Results were generally in line with previous findings, but effects were substantially weaker. As suggested by exploratory analyses, this might be due to the fact that the overall rejection of supporters measure comprises not only items capturing rejection of supporters but also items capturing low beliefs in conspiracy theories. These two distinct components differentially related to self-esteem and narcissism: the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism could only be replicated for the “low belief” subcomponent (thus replicating findings from the original study and from Study 1) but not for the “rejection of supporters” subcomponent. The present work thus contributes to recent research suggesting that low belief in conspiracy theories and the rejection of their supporters might be qualitatively different responses with unique antecedents.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Pacific Rim Psychology
Volume15
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
ISSN1834-4909
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10.2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Notting Hill Gate 3 Basic
  2. Mining User-Generated Financial Content to Predict Stock Price Movements
  3. Do unfair perceived own pay and top managers’ pay erode satisfaction with democracy?
  4. Facing Apathy in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Death Watch”
  5. Effects of grade retention on achievement and self-concept in science and mathematics
  6. Grain refinements of magnesium alloys inoculated by additions of external SiC particles
  7. Constructing small talk in learner-native speaker voice-based telecollaboration
  8. The Altmark Trans judgment: consequences for the hospital sector
  9. Effects of introspective vs. extraspective instruction in scaling of hedonic properties of flavouring ingredients by Chinese and German subjects
  10. Media of Trust
  11. Exploring the influence of testimonial source on attitudes towards e-mental health interventions among university students
  12. German multiple-product, multiple-destination exporters: Bernard-Redding-Schott under test
  13. Article 71 CISG
  14. The impact of mindfulness on well-being and performance in the workplace
  15. Palaeoecological Interpretation of a Late Holocene Sediment Sequence from the Alpine Belt of the Southern Mongolian Altai Mountains
  16. Reinforcing Systems of Exclusion
  17. Focus on opportunities as a boundary condition of the relationship between job control and work engagement: A multi-sample, multi-method study
  18. Article 69 CISG
  19. Dynamische Bestandsdimensionierung
  20. Interactive effects among ecosystem services and management practices on crop production
  21. Veränderungen in den Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsstrukturen
  22. Instroduction
  23. PragmatiKK: Target Group-specific Approach in a web-based Stress Prevention Platform for Micro and Small Companies
  24. The distribution of power within the community
  25. Sustainability Accounting and Reporting
  26. Course Evaluations
  27. Wigmorian Copyright
  28. Reversing a tree regeneration crisis in an endangered ecoregion
  29. "There is no alternative"
  30. Using accuracy of self-estimated interest type as a sign of career choice readiness in career assessment of secondary students
  31. Symbolic Environmental Legislation and Societal Self-Deception
  32. Stronger evidence for own-age effects in memory for older as compared to younger adults.
  33. Führungsbeziehungen