Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41917066›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Cognitive traits modulate the effects of images and familiarity on judgments of news accuracy.

Lorenzo Gagliardi, Marta Caserotti, Alessandra Tasso, Teresa Gavaruzzi, Lorella Lotto, Roberta Sellaro, Paolo Giraldi, Enrico Rubaltelli

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lorenzo GagliardiDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Italy, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy. lorenzo.gagliardi@unipd.it.
Marta CaserottiDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Italy, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy.
Alessandra TassoDepartment of Human Studies, University of Ferrara, Italy, Via Paradiso, 12, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
Teresa GavaruzziDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, G. Via G. Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
Lorella LottoDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Italy, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy.
Roberta SellaroDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Italy, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy.
Paolo GiraldiDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Italy, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venice, Italy.
Enrico RubaltelliDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Italy, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy.

Funding

NextGenerationEU 2022JLB83Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent research has shown that judgments of truth about news are influenced by the ease with which we process such information (i.e., processing fluency); for instance, familiarity with information increases perceived accuracy (i.e., illusory truth effect), but also the presence of decorative photos influences our beliefs about the accuracy of claims (i.e., truthiness effect). In this study, we present results from a survey experiment conducted on an Italian sample of university students (N = 300) where participants were presented with a set of 40 news (half real and half fake), under two conditions (no image vs image), and were asked to report perceived accuracy, familiarity and sharing intentions. Participants also completed a set of tests investigating cognitive traits: cognitive reflection test, numeracy scale, intellectual humility questionnaire. Our findings provide evidence for the truthiness effect and the illusory truth effect. Cognitive traits significantly moderated these effects: higher cognitive reflection reduced the association between familiarity and perceived accuracy and strengthened the contrast between news with vs. without images, suggesting nuanced interactions between analytic thinking and fluency-based biases. Numeracy, on the other hand, was associated with improved detection of fake news but it also amplified the illusory truth effect, indicating that familiarity may sometimes override deliberative thinking. Finally, intellectual humility played a limited role but was associated with higher perceived accuracy in the absence of images. These results shed light on the complex interplay between cognitive traits and fluency-based biases in news perception, providing theoretical and practical insights for interventions aimed at mitigating the spread of misinformation.

Indexed as

CognitionJudgmentRecognition, PsychologyAdultDeceptionFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCognitive reflectionCognitive stylesFake newsIntellectual humilityMisinformationNumeracyProcessing fluency

Identifiers

PMID41917066
PMCPMC13039496

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.