Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Effects of Control and Certainty Appraisals on Action Tendencies and State Emotions After Exposure to a Conspiracy Theory

Sommer, Josefina LU (2025) PSYP01 20242
Department of Psychology
Abstract (Swedish)
Endorsement of conspiracy theories has several behavioral consequences ranging from increased confrontation to withdrawal from society. While both have the potential to erode society, the psychological mechanisms that foster them are not fully understood. The Appraisal Model of Conspiracy Theories (Pummerer et al., in press) proposes that different patterns of control and certainty appraisals, which are characteristic of either anger or fear, can explain these distinct behavioral consequences. I tested this assumption in a cross-sectional experimental study in Germany (N = 193). A vignette designed to evoke conjoint appraisals of high control and high certainty (characteristic of anger) did not increase action tendencies related to... (More)
Endorsement of conspiracy theories has several behavioral consequences ranging from increased confrontation to withdrawal from society. While both have the potential to erode society, the psychological mechanisms that foster them are not fully understood. The Appraisal Model of Conspiracy Theories (Pummerer et al., in press) proposes that different patterns of control and certainty appraisals, which are characteristic of either anger or fear, can explain these distinct behavioral consequences. I tested this assumption in a cross-sectional experimental study in Germany (N = 193). A vignette designed to evoke conjoint appraisals of high control and high certainty (characteristic of anger) did not increase action tendencies related to confrontation compared to a vignette created to induce appraisals of low control and low certainty (characteristic of fear). Conversely, the low control and low certainty vignette did not increase action tendencies related to withdrawal in comparison to the high control and high certainty vignette. The results suggest that the experimental manipulations were not strong enough to evoke the hypothesized appraisals and respective action tendencies. They highlight the need to refine manipulations to evoke cognitive appraisals and to improve scales to assess action tendencies in the context of conspiracy theories. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Sommer, Josefina LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20242
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
conspiracy theories, appraisal theory, action tendencies, control, certainty
language
English
id
9183589
date added to LUP
2025-01-30 14:32:41
date last changed
2025-01-30 14:32:41
@misc{9183589,
  abstract     = {{Endorsement of conspiracy theories has several behavioral consequences ranging from increased confrontation to withdrawal from society. While both have the potential to erode society, the psychological mechanisms that foster them are not fully understood. The Appraisal Model of Conspiracy Theories (Pummerer et al., in press) proposes that different patterns of control and certainty appraisals, which are characteristic of either anger or fear, can explain these distinct behavioral consequences. I tested this assumption in a cross-sectional experimental study in Germany (N = 193). A vignette designed to evoke conjoint appraisals of high control and high certainty (characteristic of anger) did not increase action tendencies related to confrontation compared to a vignette created to induce appraisals of low control and low certainty (characteristic of fear). Conversely, the low control and low certainty vignette did not increase action tendencies related to withdrawal in comparison to the high control and high certainty vignette. The results suggest that the experimental manipulations were not strong enough to evoke the hypothesized appraisals and respective action tendencies. They highlight the need to refine manipulations to evoke cognitive appraisals and to improve scales to assess action tendencies in the context of conspiracy theories.}},
  author       = {{Sommer, Josefina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Effects of Control and Certainty Appraisals on Action Tendencies and State Emotions After Exposure to a Conspiracy Theory}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}