TITLE:
Unmasking Conspiracy Thinking: A Masked Priming Study Testing Belief-Based versus Communication-Based Conspiracy-Theory Endorsement
AUTHORS:
Daniel Gugerell, Sophie Steiner, Ulrich Ansorge
KEYWORDS:
Conspiracy, Masked Priming Paradigm
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.17 No.11,
November
9,
2026
ABSTRACT: Conspiracy theories have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, posing a threat to a democratic discourse. This study investigates whether conspiracy beliefs are internalized and automatically activated (belief-based hypothesis) or strategically used and context-dependent (communication-based hypothesis). Using a masked priming paradigm, 80 participants were presented with conspiracy- or science-related primes, followed by self- or other-referential targets. Reaction times (RTs) and accuracy were recorded, and explicit conspiracy beliefs were assessed using the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale. No priming effects indicative of the belief-based theory were found. This was also supported by additional analyses, with participants divided by median-split into two groups (conspiracy believers versus non-believers). These results provide no evidence for automatic semantic alignment between conspiracy content and the self, as would be expected under the belief-based hypothesis.