Conspiracy Theorists Have a Fundamental Cognitive Problem, Say Scientists. And it can affect all of us.

The world’s a scary, unpredictable place, and that makes your brain mad. As a predictive organ, the brain is on the constant lookout for patterns that both explain the world and help you thrive in it. That ability helps humans make sense of the world. For example, you probably understand by now that if you see red, that means that you should be on the lookout for danger.

But as scientists report in a 2017 paper published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, sometimes people sense danger even when there is no pattern to recognize — and so their brains create their own. This phenomenon, called illusory pattern perception, they write, is what drives people who believe in conspiracy theories, like climate change deniers, 9/11 truthers, and “Pizzagate” believers.

The study is especially timely; recent polls suggest that nearly 50 percent of ordinary, non-pathological Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory.

Illusory pattern perception — the act of seeking patterns that aren’t there — has been linked to belief in conspiracy theories before, but that assumption has never really been supported with empirical evidence. The British and Dutch scientists behind the new study are some of the first to show that this explanation is, in fact, correct.

The researchers came to this conclusion after conducting five studies on 264 Americans who focused on the relationship between irrational beliefs and illusory pattern perception. Initial studies revealed that the compulsion to find patterns in an observable situation was in fact correlated with irrational beliefs: People who saw patterns in random coin tosses and chaotic, abstract paintings were more likely to believe in conspiratorial and supernatural theories.

The study showed how susceptible people can be to external influences, too. Reading about paranormal or conspiracy beliefs, the researchers report, caused a “slight increase in the perception of patterns in coin tosses, paintings and life,” and reading about one conspiracy theory made people more likely to believe in another one.

“Following a manipulation of belief in one conspiracy theory people saw events in the world as more strongly casually connected, which in turn predicted unrelated irrational beliefs,” write the authors.

The researchers suggest that irrational beliefs are born from pattern perception because of the “automatic tendency to make sense of the world by identifying meaningful relationships between stimuli.” But distortions can happen, and the brain can connect dots that are actually nonexistent. People are bad at judging what’s random and believe that, often times, patterns are actually coincidences, which leads to irrational connections between unrelated stimuli. For example, just because societal power is dominated by the rich does not mean those rich people are Illuminati Satanists, though that is a thing that many people believe.

Fortunately, other scientists have found a way to block the pervasiveness of illusory pattern perception: critical thinking. In a previous interview, North Carolina State University psychology professor Anne McLaughlin told Inverse that critical thinking is something that can be taught, and if people are trained in the right way, pseudoscience and false conspiracies can be combated with logic and reasoning. The brain may try to make false connections, but that doesn’t mean you have to believe it.

ok so all "conspiracy theories" are false.

got it.

genius

Noone said that, it's more like habitual gravitation towards them as a predominant personality trait...

describe what happened on 911.

who was responsible and what did they do

Conspiracy Theories:

Walker's five kinds
Jesse Walker (2013) has identified five kinds of conspiracy theories:

The "Enemy Outside" refers to theories based on figures alleged to be scheming against a community from without.
The "Enemy Within" finds the conspirators lurking inside the nation, indistinguishable from ordinary citizens.
The "Enemy Above" involves powerful people manipulating events for their own gain.
The "Enemy Below" features the lower classes working to overturn the social order.
The "Benevolent Conspiracies" are angelic forces that work behind the scenes to improve the world and help people.[35]

Barkun's three types

Michael Barkun has identified three classifications of conspiracy theory:

Event conspiracy theories. This refers to limited and well-defined events. Examples may include such conspiracies theories as those concerning the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, and the spread of AIDS.[36]
Systemic conspiracy theories. The conspiracy is believed to have broad goals, usually conceived as securing control of a country, a region, or even the entire world. The goals are sweeping, whilst the conspiratorial machinery is generally simple: a single, evil organization implements a plan to infiltrate and subvert existing institutions. This is a common scenario in conspiracy theories that focus on the alleged machinations of Jews, Freemasons, Communism, or the Catholic Church.[36]
Superconspiracy theories. For Barkun, such theories link multiple alleged conspiracies together hierarchically. At the summit is a distant but all-powerful evil force. His cited examples are the ideas of David Icke and Milton William Cooper.[36]

Relationship between conspiracy theories and evidence

Belief in conspiracy theories is generally based not on evidence, but in the faith of the believer.[38] Noam Chomsky contrasts conspiracy theory to institutional analysis which focuses mostly on the public, long-term behavior of publicly known institutions, as recorded in, for example, scholarly documents or mainstream media reports.[39] Conspiracy theory conversely posits the existence of secretive coalitions of individuals and speculates on their alleged activities.[40][41] Belief in conspiracy theories is associated with biases in reasoning, such as the conjunction fallacy.[42]

Psychology

The widespread belief in conspiracy theories has become a topic of interest for sociologists, psychologists, and experts in folklore since at least the 1960s, when a number of conspiracy theories arose regarding the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Sociologist Türkay Salim Nefes underlines the political nature of conspiracy theories. He suggests that one of the most important characteristics of these accounts is their attempt to unveil the "real but hidden" power relations in social groups.[60][61]

Research suggests, on a psychological level, conspiracist ideation—belief in conspiracy theories—can be harmful or pathological,[10][11] and is highly correlated with psychological projection, as well as with paranoia, which is predicted by the degree of a person's Machiavellianism.[62] The propensity to believe in conspiracy theories is strongly associated with the mental health disorder of schizotypy.[63][64][65][66][67] Conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become commonplace in mass media, emerging as a cultural phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.[15][16][17][18]

Some research[68] has suggested that “analytical thinking” aids in reducing belief in conspiracy theories, in part because it emphasizes rational and critical cognition. Some psychological scientists[68] assert that explanations related to conspiracy theories can be, and often are “internally consistent” with strong beliefs that had previously been held prior to the event that sparked the conspiracy.

you're posting nonsense. answer my question.

Quote
NuNativs

Conspiracy Theories:

Walker's five kinds
Jesse Walker (2013) has identified five kinds of conspiracy theories:

The "Enemy Outside" refers to theories based on figures alleged to be scheming against a community from without.
The "Enemy Within" finds the conspirators lurking inside the nation, indistinguishable from ordinary citizens.
The "Enemy Above" involves powerful people manipulating events for their own gain.
The "Enemy Below" features the lower classes working to overturn the social order.
The "Benevolent Conspiracies" are angelic forces that work behind the scenes to improve the world and help people.[35]

CLAPTRAP! Pure and Simple!

More Specificially -

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS created by The Left.

Because that's what They do! They make up Concepts or Constructs with which to Characterize and Attack Their Enemies and Gain Power.

***********

plural noun: constructs

an idea or theory containing various conceptual elements, typically one considered to be subjective and not based on empirical evidence.

Construct
Philosophy

In philosophy, a construct is an object which is ideal, that is, an object of the mind or of thought, meaning that its existence may be said to depend upon a subject's mind.

Construct (psychology), also hypothetical construct or psychological construct, is a tool used to facilitate understanding of human behavior. Behavioral sciences use constructs such as conscientiousness, intelligence, political power, self-esteem, and group culture.

**********

Psychology Constructs, Social Constructs, Philosophy Constructs are all MADE-UP THEORIES by THE LEFT to use as a TOOL.

***********

List of just a few of The Left's Social Constructs - there's a million of them.

Critical Race Theory

White Privilege

White Fragility

Culture of Rape

Male Toxicity

Toxic Masculinity

Patriarchy

Euro Colonialism

Microagressions

Cultural Appropriation

Systemic Racism

Inherent Racism

Gender Fludity

And On and On and On ...

**********

For example, read this sh*t - by a 'Professor', of course -

[www.cwu.edu]

Pure bullsh*t that someone THEORIZED and is presenting as REAL. It's not - It's Subjective! That's his take!

Teaching all these FABRICATED Concepts/Constructs - for example Critical Race Theory - to Children, in High Schools and especially at College. They're VILE, these people!

**********

(From Information of THE LEFT about SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS: )

"Social Constructs are Intangible."

"What are the implications of a social constructionist approach to understanding the world? Because social constructionist analyses examine categories of difference as fluid, dynamic, and changing according to historical and geographical context, a social constructionist perspective suggests that existing inequalities are neither inevitable nor immutable. This perspective is especially useful for the activist and emancipatory aims of feminist movements and theories. By centering the processes through which inequality and power relations produce racialized, sexualized, and gendered difference, social constructionist analyses challenge the pathologization of minorities who have been thought to be essentially or inherently inferior to privileged groups. Additionally, social constructionist analyses destabilize the categories that organize people into hierarchically ordered groups through uncovering the historical, cultural, and/or institutional origins of the groups under study. In this way, social constructionist analyses challenge the categorical underpinnings of inequalities by revealing their production and reproduction through unequal systems of knowledge and power."

**********

Operative words here area PERSPECTIVE and SUBJECTIVE - In other words, it's BULLSH*T CREATED by the LEFT to GAIN POWER!

*********

"Conspiracy Theories" is a Construct. Created, Subjective, Intangible, A Perspective



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2020 11:11PM by Jennifer.

Quote
Jennifer

Quote
NuNativs

Conspiracy Theories:

Walker's five kinds
Jesse Walker (2013) has identified five kinds of conspiracy theories:

The "Enemy Outside" refers to theories based on figures alleged to be scheming against a community from without.
The "Enemy Within" finds the conspirators lurking inside the nation, indistinguishable from ordinary citizens.
The "Enemy Above" involves powerful people manipulating events for their own gain.
The "Enemy Below" features the lower classes working to overturn the social order.
The "Benevolent Conspiracies" are angelic forces that work behind the scenes to improve the world and help people.[35]

CLAPTRAP! Pure and Simple!

More Specificially -

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS created by The Left.

Because that's what They do! They make up Concepts or Constructs with which to Characterize and Attack Their Enemies and Gain Power.

***********

plural noun: constructs

an idea or theory containing various conceptual elements, typically one considered to be subjective and not based on empirical evidence.

Construct
Philosophy

In philosophy, a construct is an object which is ideal, that is, an object of the mind or of thought, meaning that its existence may be said to depend upon a subject's mind.

Construct (psychology), also hypothetical construct or psychological construct, is a tool used to facilitate understanding of human behavior. Behavioral sciences use constructs such as conscientiousness, intelligence, political power, self-esteem, and group culture.

**********

Psychology Constructs, Social Constructs, Philosophy Constructs are all MADE-UP THEORIES by THE LEFT to use as a TOOL.

***********

List of just a few of The Left's Social Constructs - there's a million of them.

Critical Race Theory

White Privilege

White Fragility

Culture of Rape

Male Toxicity

Toxic Masculinity

Patriarchy

Euro Colonialism

Microagressions

Cultural Appropriation

Systemic Racism

Inherent Racism

Gender Fludity

And On and On and On ...

**********

For example, read this sh*t - by a 'Professor', of course -

[www.cwu.edu]

Pure bullsh*t that someone THEORIZED and is presenting as REAL. It's not - It's Subjective! That's his take!

Teaching all these FABRICATED Concepts/Constructs AS FACT- for example Critical Race Theory - to Children, in High Schools and especially at College. They're VILE, these people!

**********

(From Information of THE LEFT about SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS: )

"Social Constructs are Intangible."

"What are the implications of a social constructionist approach to understanding the world? Because social constructionist analyses examine categories of difference as fluid, dynamic, and changing according to historical and geographical context, a social constructionist perspective suggests that existing inequalities are neither inevitable nor immutable. This perspective is especially useful for the activist and emancipatory aims of feminist movements and theories. By centering the processes through which inequality and power relations produce racialized, sexualized, and gendered difference, social constructionist analyses challenge the pathologization of minorities who have been thought to be essentially or inherently inferior to privileged groups. Additionally, social constructionist analyses destabilize the categories that organize people into hierarchically ordered groups through uncovering the historical, cultural, and/or institutional origins of the groups under study. In this way, social constructionist analyses challenge the categorical underpinnings of inequalities by revealing their production and reproduction through unequal systems of knowledge and power."

**********

Operative words here are PERSPECTIVE and SUBJECTIVE - In other words, it's BULLSH*T CREATED by the LEFT to GAIN POWER!

*********

That "Five Kinds of Conspiracy Theories" is a Construct. Theorized, Subjective, Intangible, A Perspective. Created as a Tool to Attack the Enemy.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2020 12:04AM by Jennifer.

Oops, I don't know how I posted it twice. Sorry!

The second post is the best because I added more of my commentary - lol

(((Triggered, I'm surrounded by ENEMIES!!!)))

Narcissistic personality disorder

People matching the diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder also use splitting as a central defense mechanism. Most often narcissists do this as an attempt to stabilize their sense of self positivity in order to preserve their self-esteem, by perceiving themselves as purely upright or admirable and others who do not conform to their will or values as purely wicked or contemptible.[13]