Sat, Jul 11, 2026
| فارسی
Ethics code: IR.UT.IRICSS.REC.1402.052
1- Malek-Ashtar University
2- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies
3- The Cognitive Sciences and Technologies Development Staff
4- Max Planck Institute
5- Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch
2- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies
3- The Cognitive Sciences and Technologies Development Staff
4- Max Planck Institute
5- Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch
Abstract: (104 Views)
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The proliferation of fake news poses a serious challenge to public opinion and societal decision-making. Inoculation theory, particularly through educational games such as Bad News that prompt users to actively generate fake news, offers a preemptive strategy to enhance cognitive resistance to misleading information. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two intervention mechanisms based on inoculation theory—namely, practicing the production of fake news versus practicing the production of truthful news—in improving the ability to detect fake news within the Iranian media context. Methods: This experimental study employed a pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 192 Iranian social media users (aged 18–30 years) were randomly assigned to three groups of 64 participants each: two experimental groups (the Bad News game group and the Good News game group) and a control group that played Tetris. Both educational games assigned to the experimental groups (Good News and Bad News) taught four common techniques used in generating fake news—namely, impersonation, emotional manipulation, polarization, and the use of advertising tactics to attract audiences (the control group received no such training). The ability to detect fake news was measured using two adapted versions (Series 1 and 2) of a fake news identification test during the pretest and posttest phases. Data were analyzed using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Results: Analyses revealed a significant interaction effect between group and time (p < 0.001). Both game-based interventions significantly improved fake news detection performance compared to the control group. However, the Good News group performed significantly better than the Bad News group. The cumulative improvement rates were 15.2% for the Good News group, 8.3% for the Bad News group, and -3.2% (i.e., a decline in performance) for the control group. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the inoculation theory approach can be an effective factor in enhancing individuals' ability to distinguish true from false news. Furthermore, in response to the main research question—comparing defense practice versus mimicking attack—the results show that defense practice is more effective in enhancing this ability. In other words, the ability to detect fake news in the Good News group improved by approximately twice as much as in the Bad News group. These findings suggest that designing educational interventions based on the active production of accurate content constitutes a more effective strategy for cognitive immunization against misinformation. Nevertheless, study limitations (including the focus on a young age group and a specific cultural context) restrict the generalizability of the results, and future research with more diverse samples and longer follow-up periods is recommended.mouseout="msoCommentHide('_com_1')" onmouseover="msoCommentShow('_anchor_1','_com_1')">[A1]
Introduction: The proliferation of fake news poses a serious challenge to public opinion and societal decision-making. Inoculation theory, particularly through educational games such as Bad News that prompt users to actively generate fake news, offers a preemptive strategy to enhance cognitive resistance to misleading information. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two intervention mechanisms based on inoculation theory—namely, practicing the production of fake news versus practicing the production of truthful news—in improving the ability to detect fake news within the Iranian media context. Methods: This experimental study employed a pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 192 Iranian social media users (aged 18–30 years) were randomly assigned to three groups of 64 participants each: two experimental groups (the Bad News game group and the Good News game group) and a control group that played Tetris. Both educational games assigned to the experimental groups (Good News and Bad News) taught four common techniques used in generating fake news—namely, impersonation, emotional manipulation, polarization, and the use of advertising tactics to attract audiences (the control group received no such training). The ability to detect fake news was measured using two adapted versions (Series 1 and 2) of a fake news identification test during the pretest and posttest phases. Data were analyzed using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Results: Analyses revealed a significant interaction effect between group and time (p < 0.001). Both game-based interventions significantly improved fake news detection performance compared to the control group. However, the Good News group performed significantly better than the Bad News group. The cumulative improvement rates were 15.2% for the Good News group, 8.3% for the Bad News group, and -3.2% (i.e., a decline in performance) for the control group. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the inoculation theory approach can be an effective factor in enhancing individuals' ability to distinguish true from false news. Furthermore, in response to the main research question—comparing defense practice versus mimicking attack—the results show that defense practice is more effective in enhancing this ability. In other words, the ability to detect fake news in the Good News group improved by approximately twice as much as in the Bad News group. These findings suggest that designing educational interventions based on the active production of accurate content constitutes a more effective strategy for cognitive immunization against misinformation. Nevertheless, study limitations (including the focus on a young age group and a specific cultural context) restrict the generalizability of the results, and future research with more diverse samples and longer follow-up periods is recommended.mouseout="msoCommentHide('_com_1')" on
mouseout="msoCommentHide('_com_1')" onmouseover="msoCommentShow('_anchor_1','_com_1')"> [A1]مطابق با چکیده فارسی ویرایش یافت
Keywords: Accurate News, Cognitive Game, Cognitive Immunity, Fake News, Media Literacy, Psychological Inoculation
Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2025/11/4 | Accepted: 2026/07/2
Received: 2025/11/4 | Accepted: 2026/07/2
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
