Pathology

Neuroscience

Scrutiny

Humility

Disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Pandemic

Internet privacy

Outbreak

Political science

Psychology

Virology

Disinformation

Globe

Misinformation

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Computer science

Social media

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Medicine

Social psychology

Social Psychological and Personality Science

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt across the globe. While health experts work to spread life-saving information, misinformation and fake news about the virus undermine these efforts. What actions can people take when confronting COVID-19 misinformation, and what factors motivate people to take these actions? We propose that people can engage in investigative behaviors (e.g., fact-checking, seeking alternative opinions) to scrutinize the validity of the information they encounter, and we examine intellectual humility as a predictor of these important behaviors. In three studies ( N = 1,232) examining both behavioral intentions (Studies 1 and 2) and real behavior (Study 3), we find that those higher in intellectual humility are more likely to engage in investigative behaviors in response to COVID-19 misinformation.

Intellectual Humility Predicts Scrutiny of COVID-19 Misinformation