Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors
Abstract The rapid propagation of information in the digital epoch has brought a surge of rumors, creating a significant societal challenge. While prior research has primarily focused on the psychological aspects of rumors—such as the beliefs, behaviors, and persistence they evoke—there has been lim...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82696-x |
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| author | Yi Ding Xinyue Yang Wengang Zhang Wei Lyu Mia Y. Wang |
| author_facet | Yi Ding Xinyue Yang Wengang Zhang Wei Lyu Mia Y. Wang |
| author_sort | Yi Ding |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The rapid propagation of information in the digital epoch has brought a surge of rumors, creating a significant societal challenge. While prior research has primarily focused on the psychological aspects of rumors—such as the beliefs, behaviors, and persistence they evoke—there has been limited exploration of how rumors are processed in the brain. In this study, we experimented to examine both behavioral responses and EEG data during rumor detection. Participants evaluated the credibility of 80 randomly presented rumors, and only 22% were able to identify false rumors more accurately than by random chance. Our ERP findings reveal that truth judgments elicit stronger negative ERP responses (N400) compared to false judgments, while false judgments are associated with larger positive ERP responses (P2, P3, and LPP). Additionally, we identified gender differences in brain activity related to rumor detection, suggesting distinct cognitive strategies. Men demonstrated greater P2 and enhanced N400 responses, while women exhibited larger P3 and LPP amplitudes. This study is among the first to investigate the neural patterns underlying rumors recognition and to highlight gender disparities in decision-making related to rumors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a21f3d0010fd466db7edac963ef8ad02 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-a21f3d0010fd466db7edac963ef8ad022025-08-20T02:43:33ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111410.1038/s41598-024-82696-xUsing ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumorsYi Ding0Xinyue Yang1Wengang Zhang2Wei Lyu3Mia Y. Wang4School of Economics and Management, Anhui Polytechnic UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Anhui Polytechnic UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Anhui Polytechnic UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Anhui Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Computer Science, College of CharlestonAbstract The rapid propagation of information in the digital epoch has brought a surge of rumors, creating a significant societal challenge. While prior research has primarily focused on the psychological aspects of rumors—such as the beliefs, behaviors, and persistence they evoke—there has been limited exploration of how rumors are processed in the brain. In this study, we experimented to examine both behavioral responses and EEG data during rumor detection. Participants evaluated the credibility of 80 randomly presented rumors, and only 22% were able to identify false rumors more accurately than by random chance. Our ERP findings reveal that truth judgments elicit stronger negative ERP responses (N400) compared to false judgments, while false judgments are associated with larger positive ERP responses (P2, P3, and LPP). Additionally, we identified gender differences in brain activity related to rumor detection, suggesting distinct cognitive strategies. Men demonstrated greater P2 and enhanced N400 responses, while women exhibited larger P3 and LPP amplitudes. This study is among the first to investigate the neural patterns underlying rumors recognition and to highlight gender disparities in decision-making related to rumors.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82696-xOnline rumorsSocial mediaEvent related potentialsCredibility |
| spellingShingle | Yi Ding Xinyue Yang Wengang Zhang Wei Lyu Mia Y. Wang Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors Scientific Reports Online rumors Social media Event related potentials Credibility |
| title | Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| title_full | Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| title_fullStr | Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| title_short | Using ERPs to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| title_sort | using erps to unveil the authenticity evaluation and neural response to online rumors |
| topic | Online rumors Social media Event related potentials Credibility |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82696-x |
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