title: The dark side of cognitive illusions: when an illusory belief interferes with the acquisition of evidence-based knowledge.
abstract: Cognitive illusions are often associated with mental health and well-being. However, they are not without risk. This research shows they can interfere with the acquisition of evidence-based knowledge. During the first phase of the experiment, one group of participants was induced to develop a strong illusion that a placebo medicine was effective to treat a fictitious disease, whereas another group was induced to develop a weak illusion. Then, in Phase 2, both groups observed fictitious patients who always took the bogus treatment simultaneously with a second treatment which was effective. Our results showed that the group who developed the strong illusion about the effectiveness of the bogus treatment during Phase 1 had more difficulties in learning during Phase 2 that the added treatment was effective.
authors: Department of Experimental Psychology, Deusto University, Bilbao, Spain.
authors: Ion
authors: I
authors: Yarritu
authors: Department of Experimental Psychology, Deusto University, Bilbao, Spain.
authors: Helena
authors: H
authors: Matute
authors: Biomedical Research Institute (IBIMA), University of Malaga, Spain.|School of Psychology, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Luque
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000523:psychology*; D019359:Knowledge; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: causal judgements; causal learning; cognitive bias; cognitive illusions; cue interaction; evidence-based knowledge; evidence-based medicine; illusion of causality; placebo; pseudoscience
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