Question

What does the backfire effect have to do with conspiracy theories? a. Conspiracy theorists tend to make themselves the victims of real conspiracies in the world. b. Most conspiracy theories 'backfire' in the sense that they only make the theorist more paranoid. c. The backfire effect predicts that it will be very difficult to convince a conspiracy-minded person to abandon his or her conspiracy theory. d. The backfire effect is only found in internal combustion engines.

Answer 1

Answer: c. The backfire effect predicts that it will be very difficult to convince a conspiracy-minded person to abandon his or her conspiracy theory.

Explanation:

The Backfire Effect posits that when some people believe something to be true but are either told that it is untrue or presented with evidence to prove its inaccuracy, they will believe that claim even more.

In the case of conspiracy theories, the backfire effect makes conspiracy theorists believe even more that the claim is true because they will feel the truth is being covered up. It is therefore very hard for them to abandon their conspiracy theory.