{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2259"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2259","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Decoding belief: neural mechanisms of conspiracy message evaluation","abstract":"Conspiracy theories present emotionally salient and socially consequential information that may influence credibility evaluation, particularly in online environments where social cues are prevalent. Although behavioral predictors of conspiracy belief have been widely studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying credibility evaluation. The present study used electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine neural responses during a conspiracy message evaluation task under varying social credibility conditions (high, ambiguous, individual). Participants evaluated conspiracy and true messages while EEG was recorded, and resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry was assessed. Conspiracy messages elicited greater right-frontal LPP amplitudes than true messages, indicating enhanced regulatory engagement. Social credibility modulated sustained attention (P3) and regulatory processing (LPP), and resting frontal alpha asymmetry predicted LPP amplitudes. These findings inform an Integrated Regulatory-Motivational Model of Credibility Evaluation.","abstract_html":"Conspiracy theories present emotionally salient and socially consequential information that may influence credibility evaluation, particularly in online environments where social cues are prevalent. Although behavioral predictors of conspiracy belief have been widely studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying credibility evaluation. The present study used electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine neural responses during a conspiracy message evaluation task under varying social credibility conditions (high, ambiguous, individual). Participants evaluated conspiracy and true messages while EEG was recorded, and resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry was assessed. Conspiracy messages elicited greater right-frontal LPP amplitudes than true messages, indicating enhanced regulatory engagement. Social credibility modulated sustained attention (P3) and regulatory processing (LPP), and resting frontal alpha asymmetry predicted LPP amplitudes. These findings inform an Integrated Regulatory-Motivational Model of Credibility Evaluation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Daugherty, Hannah C"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Wilhelm, Ricardo","Teaford, Max; Heise, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2027,"date_issued":"2027-05-31T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2027-05-31T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:28Z","subjects":["Belief and doubt","Cognitive neuroscience","Conspiracy theories"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1072","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Wilhelm, Ricardo","Teaford, Max; Heise, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Daugherty, Hannah C"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-05-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2027-05-31T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Belief and doubt","Cognitive neuroscience","Conspiracy theories"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1072"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of Psychology","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Conspiracy theories present emotionally salient and socially consequential information that may influence credibility evaluation, particularly in online environments where social cues are prevalent. Although behavioral predictors of conspiracy belief have been widely studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying credibility evaluation. The present study used electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine neural responses during a conspiracy message evaluation task under varying social credibility conditions (high, ambiguous, individual). Participants evaluated conspiracy and true messages while EEG was recorded, and resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry was assessed. Conspiracy messages elicited greater right-frontal LPP amplitudes than true messages, indicating enhanced regulatory engagement. Social credibility modulated sustained attention (P3) and regulatory processing (LPP), and resting frontal alpha asymmetry predicted LPP amplitudes. These findings inform an Integrated Regulatory-Motivational Model of Credibility Evaluation."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Decoding belief: neural mechanisms of conspiracy message evaluation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Wilhelm, Ricardo","Teaford, Max; Heise, Sarah","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Daugherty, Hannah C"],"dc:date":["2026-05-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:date.available":["2027-05-31T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of Psychology","M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science."],"dc:description.abstract":["Conspiracy theories present emotionally salient and socially consequential information that may influence credibility evaluation, particularly in online environments where social cues are prevalent. Although behavioral predictors of conspiracy belief have been widely studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying credibility evaluation. The present study used electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine neural responses during a conspiracy message evaluation task under varying social credibility conditions (high, ambiguous, individual). Participants evaluated conspiracy and true messages while EEG was recorded, and resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry was assessed. Conspiracy messages elicited greater right-frontal LPP amplitudes than true messages, indicating enhanced regulatory engagement. Social credibility modulated sustained attention (P3) and regulatory processing (LPP), and resting frontal alpha asymmetry predicted LPP amplitudes. These findings inform an Integrated Regulatory-Motivational Model of Credibility Evaluation."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1072"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Belief and doubt","Cognitive neuroscience","Conspiracy theories"],"dc:title":["Decoding belief: neural mechanisms of conspiracy message evaluation"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:28Z"}