The role of relevance in the continued influence effect of misinformation under different retraction methods

The continued-influence effect of misinformation can have a negative impact on an individual's reasoning judgment. Previous studies less attention has been paid to the possible effects of information relevance on the continued-influence effect of misinformation, especially the role of relevance under different retraction methods. In this study, the role of information relevance was examined through four experiments with different retraction methods. An internal meta-analysis of the four experiments was also conducted to provide more evidence. It was found that the effect of information relevance on the continued-influence effect of misinformation did not differ by retraction method, and all showed that highly relevant misinformation was easier to retract and there was less continued-influence effect of misinformation. The results also found that the source of corrected information was high authority or providing alternative explanations was able to reduce the continued-influence effect of misinformation more effectively. The study extended the types of information in the material, enriched the factors influencing of the continued-influence effect of misinformation, and provides more evidence and foundation for further in-depth exploration of continued-influence effect of misinformation and its retraction effects, as well as provides some evidence for existing theoretical explanations.