Tom Jacobs – The Persuasive Power of Repeated Falsehoods New research finds repeated false statements are more likely to be perceived as truthful, even when we have enough knowledge to contradict them.

Since this “Illusory Truth Effect” was first noted in the late 1970s, it has been widely assumed that this ploy is effective only on people unfamiliar with the issue in question. Knowledge of the subject matter will lead people to dismiss the lie and distrust the liar, one might assume.

But a newly published study reports that’s not necessarily true: Even those of us with a solid grasp of the issue at hand are susceptible to this sort of misinformation.

Tom Jacobs – The Persuasive Power of Repeated Falsehoods New research finds repeated false statements are more likely to be perceived as truthful, even when we have enough knowledge to contradict them.

“Reading a statement like ‘A sari is the name of the short plaid skirt worn by Scots’ increased participants’ later belief that it was true.”

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