An Alternative Correct Answer to the Cognitive Reflection Test

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) measures one’s tendency to engage in reflective deliberate System 2 thinking. The CRT consists of three mathematical tasks, which are designed to generate an intuitive wrong answer (Frederick, 2005). It requires cognitive reflection to override this intuitive answer (which is typically considered first) and come up with the correct answer. The CRT has quickly reached wide popularity and within 16 years has been cited by over 4,800 publications according to Google Scholar (∼2,000 citations in Scopus). Studies which applied the CRT focused for instance on thinking biases (Stanovich and West, 2008), time and risk preferences (Oechssler et al., 2009), fluency (Alter et al., 2007), performance on heuristics-and-biases tasks (Toplak et al., 2011), and decision-making tasks (Campitelli and Labollita, 2010). High scores on the CRT correlate positively with numeracy, actively open-minded thinking and working memory and negatively with paranormal beliefs, denominator neglect and belief bias in syllogistic reasoning tasks (Toplak et al., 2011; Baron et al., 2015; Sirota and Juanchich, 2018). The original test also inspired the development of other tests of cognitive reflection, based on the same principle of “tricky” items, which evoke an intuitive wrong answer, either numerical or verbal (e.g., Toplak et al., 2014; Thomson and Oppenheimer, 2016).publishedVersio

Blinded by emotions: The association between emotional reactivity and trust in fictitious news stories on crime

We investigated the relation between emotional reactivity measured by Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale – Short Form (PERS-S) and trust in fictitious news stories on crime. In Study 1 we found on a sample of 508 older adults (M = 70.6 years) that their general positive and negative emotional reactivity was associated with trust in the presented misinformation, experienced negative emotions elicited by the news stories and willingness to share the news. For young adults in Study 2 (N = 186; M = 21.7) there was a weaker association between emotional reactivity and trust in misinformation, which involved only negative emo-tional reactivity. For both samples, trust in fictitious news stories was associated with trust in traditional and new media. There was no association between trust in fictitious news stories and the amount of news consumption and Internet use. Based on our findings, the focus on emotion control and critical reading seems to be important in the fight against misinformation.publishedVersio

COVID-19 and 5G conspiracy theories: long term observation of a digital wildfire

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the lives of people worldwide, and consequently, it has dominated world news since March 2020. Thus, it is no surprise that it has also been the topic of a massive amount of misinformation, which was most likely amplified by the fact that many details about the virus were not known at the start of the pandemic. While a large amount of this misinformation was harmless, some narratives spread quickly and had a dramatic real-world effect. Such events are called digital wildfires. In this paper we study a specific digital wildfire: the idea that the COVID-19 outbreak is somehow connected to the introduction of 5G wireless technology, which caused real-world harm in April 2020 and beyond. By analyzing early social media contents we investigate the origin of this digital wildfire and the developments that lead to its wide spread. We show how the initial idea was derived from existing opposition to wireless networks, how videos rather than tweets played a crucial role in its propagation, and how commercial interests can partially explain the wide distribution of this particular piece of misinformation. We then illustrate how the initial events in the UK were echoed several months later in different countries around the world.publishedVersio

Don't Trust Your Eyes: Image Manipulation in the Age of DeepFakes

We review the phenomenon of deepfakes, a novel technology enabling inexpensive manipulation of video material through the use of artificial intelligence, in the context of today’s wider discussion on fake news. We discuss the foundation as well as recent developments of the technology, as well as the differences from earlier manipulation techniques and investigate technical countermeasures. While the threat of deepfake videos with substantial political impact has been widely discussed in recent years, so far, the political impact of the technology has been limited. We investigate reasons for this and extrapolate the types of deepfake videos we are likely to see in the future.publishedVersio

It can become 5 °C warmer: The extremity effect in climate forecasts

Climate projections and other predictions are often described as outcomes that can happen, indicating possibilities that are imaginable, but uncertain. Whereas the meanings of other uncertainty terms have been extensively studied, the uses of modal verbs like can and will have rarely been examined. Participants in five experiments were shown graphs and verbal statements showing projections of future global warming, sea level rise, and other climate-related issues. All studies gave support for the extremity hypothesis, which states that people use can-statements to describe the topmost values in a distribution of outcomes, regardless of their actual probabilities. Despite their extremity, outcomes that can happen are believed to have a substantial likelihood of occurrence. The extremity effect was replicated in two languages (Norwegian and English), and with several related terms (can, possible, could, may). The combination of extremity and exaggerated likelihood conveyed by such statements could lead to serious miscommunications

COVID-19 and 5G conspiracy theories: long term observation of a digital wildfire

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the lives of people worldwide, and consequently, it has dominated world news since March 2020. Thus, it is no surprise that it has also been the topic of a massive amount of misinformation, which was most likely amplified by the fact that many details about the virus were not known at the start of the pandemic. While a large amount of this misinformation was harmless, some narratives spread quickly and had a dramatic real-world effect. Such events are called digital wildfires. In this paper we study a specific digital wildfire: the idea that the COVID-19 outbreak is somehow connected to the introduction of 5G wireless technology, which caused real-world harm in April 2020 and beyond. By analyzing early social media contents we investigate the origin of this digital wildfire and the developments that lead to its wide spread. We show how the initial idea was derived from existing opposition to wireless networks, how videos rather than tweets played a crucial role in its propagation, and how commercial interests can partially explain the wide distribution of this particular piece of misinformation. We then illustrate how the initial events in the UK were echoed several months later in different countries around the world

Don't Trust Your Eyes: Image Manipulation in the Age of DeepFakes

We review the phenomenon of deepfakes, a novel technology enabling inexpensive manipulation of video material through the use of artificial intelligence, in the context of today’s wider discussion on fake news. We discuss the foundation as well as recent developments of the technology, as well as the differences from earlier manipulation techniques and investigate technical countermeasures. While the threat of deepfake videos with substantial political impact has been widely discussed in recent years, so far, the political impact of the technology has been limited. We investigate reasons for this and extrapolate the types of deepfake videos we are likely to see in the future

COVID-19 and 5G conspiracy theories: long term observation of a digital wildfire

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the lives of people worldwide, and consequently, it has dominated world news since March 2020. Thus, it is no surprise that it has also been the topic of a massive amount of misinformation, which was most likely amplified by the fact that many details about the virus were not known at the start of the pandemic. While a large amount of this misinformation was harmless, some narratives spread quickly and had a dramatic real-world effect. Such events are called digital wildfires. In this paper we study a specific digital wildfire: the idea that the COVID-19 outbreak is somehow connected to the introduction of 5G wireless technology, which caused real-world harm in April 2020 and beyond. By analyzing early social media contents we investigate the origin of this digital wildfire and the developments that lead to its wide spread. We show how the initial idea was derived from existing opposition to wireless networks, how videos rather than tweets played a crucial role in its propagation, and how commercial interests can partially explain the wide distribution of this particular piece of misinformation. We then illustrate how the initial events in the UK were echoed several months later in different countries around the world

Age at Death and Causes of Death in Patients with Huntington Disease in Norway in 1986–2015

Background: The literature offers discrepant findings regarding age at death in individuals with Huntington disease (HD). Objective: To study the age at death and causes of death in males and females with a diagnosis of HD in Norway. Methods: Registry study of deaths in 1986–2015 using data from two national registries: the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry (NCDR) and the registry of the Centre for Rare Disorders (CRD), Oslo University Hospital. Results: Mean age at death for individuals with HD was found to be 63.9 years (NCDR) and 61.7 years (CRD), compared to a mean of 76.9 years in the general population (NCDR). There were no significant gender differences for age at death in individuals with HD. The significant increase in age at death within the general population from 1986 to 2015 was not observed in individuals with HD. In 73.5% of individuals with HD, the underlying cause of death was HD, followed by cardiovascular diseases, cancer and respiratory diseases. The most common immediate cause of death was respiratory diseases (44.2%). Suicide was a more common cause of death in the population with HD (2.3%) compared to the general population (1.3%). Conclusion: The age at death of individuals with HD was stable over a period of 30 years and 13.3 years lower than in the general population. Longer life expectancy for females from the general population was not found in females with HD. Suicide was more common among individuals with HD compared to the general population