The Effect of Personality Traits and Political Affiliation on the Misinformation Effect in Fake News Headlines

Volume 1, No. 1
Online ISSN: 3071-0898

© The authors. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons 4.0 License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The Effect of Personality Traits and Political Affiliation on the Misinformation Effect in Fake News Headlines

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

Leonie Hellum-Lilleengen* and Tamara Avant⁺

School of Health Sciences, Barton College, Wilson, NC, USA
*Student author, ⁺Faculty mentor

CITATION

Hellum-Lilleengen, Leonie; & Avant, Tamara. (2026). The effect of personality traits and political affiliation on the misinformation effect in fake news headlines [Conference abstract]. Barton Journal, 1(1), 174–175. https://bartonjournal.org/vol-1-no-1/2026-cat4-article-no-027

Abstract

The misinformation effect is a cognitive bias where, after being exposed to misleading information, individuals recall an event inaccurately (Ayers & Reder, 1998). Despite the rise of “fake news,” it remains unclear what makes an individual more susceptible to misinformation. This study examined how personality traits and political affiliation influenced susceptibility to the misinformation effect in fake news. Using a between-subjects quasi-experimental design, participants were a) asked about their political affiliations; b) completed the Big 5 Personality Assessment (Lang et al., 2011); and c) chose whether they believed 20 news article headlines were real or fake. Accuracy scores were calculated as the percentage of correct responses (i.e., higher scores indicated better ability to distinguish between real/fake headlines). Contrary to hypotheses, political affiliation was unrelated to susceptibility to misinformation, but personality traits were significant predictors of accuracy. Overall, accuracy was significantly positively correlated with conscientiousness [r(57) = 0.109, p < 0.0001], openness [r(57) = 0.314, p < 0.0001], and agreeableness [r(57) = 0.171, p < 0.0001], suggesting that participants with higher levels of these traits were more accurate/less susceptible. However, accuracy was significantly negatively correlated with both neuroticism [r(57) = -0.295, p < 0.0001] and extraversion [r(57) = -0.103, p < 0.0001], suggesting that participants with higher levels of these traits were less accurate/more susceptible. Although the negative correlation between accuracy and neuroticism was significant for all political affiliations, the relationship was strongest for Republicans, [r(20) = -0.401, p < 0.0001].

Keywords: misinformation effect, susceptibility, conscientiousness

References

Ayers, Michael S.; & Reder, Lynne M. (1998). A theoretical review of the misinformation effect: Predictions from an activation-based memory model. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 5(1), 1–21

Lang, Frieder R.; John, Dennis; Ludtke, Oliver; Schupp, Jürgen; & Wagner, Gert. (2011). Short assessment of the Big Five: robust across survey methods except telephone interviewing. Behavior Research Methods, 43, 548–567.

Category I Articles
(3000–5000 words)

Full-length Article. Comprehensive, original research study common in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields. Presents research questions, methods, findings, and implications in full detail.

Review Article. Critical synthesis of existing scholarship across a discipline or subfield, often in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Identifies major debates, trends, and gaps in the literature.

Technical Report. Detailed account of applied research, development, or project-based work, typically used in engineering, technology, environmental science, and public policy. Emphasizes procedures, data, and practical results.

Category II Articles
(1500–3000 Words)

Case Study. An in-depth examination of a single event, individual, organization, or community, used widely in business, education, medicine, social sciences, and public policy to illustrate broader concepts.

Creative Scholarship. Scholarly work grounded in artistic, literary, or creative practices. Explores craft, process, or interpretation as a form of inquiry accompanied by explanatory text.

Critical Essay. An argument-driven analysis of a text, issue, or concept, common in the humanities and cultural studies. Prioritizes interpretation, critique, and original perspective.

Data Paper. Documentation-focused article describing a dataset’s collection, structure, and potential uses. Common in sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Methodology Paper. Focused exploration of research methods, designs, or analytical tools across disciplines such as psychology, biology, statistics, and communication studies. Emphasizes innovation or refinement of methods.

Replication Study. Study that reproduces prior research to test reliability and validity, especially in psychology, economics, biomedical sciences, and education.

Research Note. Short report presenting preliminary findings, emerging questions, or early-stage results. Used in sciences and social sciences to share timely insights.Short article. Condensed research piece that presents a focused analysis, small study, or partial findings across disciplines.

Category III Articles
(750–1000 Words)

Book/Media Review. Evaluative overview of a recent book, film, performance, or digital media, used across humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary fields.

Brief. Concise report summarizing key findings, updates, or policy-relevant information, common in public policy, health, and applied sciences.

Commentary. Short, argument-based reflection on a current issue, debate, or publication, common across disciplines.

Letter. Short communication addressing a specific study, idea, or dataset, used in sciences, social sciences, and some humanities fields.

Perspective. Reflective or viewpoint-driven piece offering an informed disciplinary interpretation of an issue, trend, or method.

Category IV Articles
(Abstracts)

Extended Abstract (300–700 Words). A more detailed, mini-article format often used in STEM and interdisciplinary conferences, including background, methods, and preliminary findings.

Conference Abstract (150–300 Words). Concise summary of proposed conference research, outlining the question, approach, and significance across any academic discipline.