phenomenon · claim-type · cross-domain-transfer · mechanism · claim-relation · replication-status · limitation — grounded in the full text| phenomenon | conspiracy belief as motivated social cognition that may thwart the very motives it answers— “Nevertheless, preliminary work suggests that despite the allure of conspiracy beliefs for people who have heightened epistemic, existential, and social motives, they may ultimately thwart those motives further. In this sense, conspiracy theories might be seen as an ironic or self-defeating manifestation of motivated social cognition.” | |
| claim-type | critique— “We review the current research and find that it answers the first of these questions more thoroughly than the second.” | |
| method — evidence | — “We review the current research and find that it answers the first of these questions more thoroughly than the second.” | |
| object of study — evidence | — “However, little research has investigated the consequences of conspiracy belief, and to date, this research does not indicate that conspiracy belief fulfills people’s motivations. Instead, for many people, conspiracy belief may be more appealing than satisfying.” | |
| research question — evidence | — “We review the current research and find that it answers the first of these questions more thoroughly than the second.” | |
| contribution — evidence | — “This research suggests that people may be drawn to conspiracy theories when—compared with nonconspiracy explanations—they promise to satisfy important social psychological motives that can be characterized as epistemic (e.g., the desire for understanding, accuracy, and subjective certainty), existential (e.g., the desire for control and… | |
| transfer | from system-justification theory: the epistemic / existential / social motive taxonomy, carried from system-justification theory into the study of conspiracy belief— “This research suggests that people may be drawn to conspiracy theories when—compared with nonconspiracy explanations—they promise to satisfy important social psychological… | transfers[0] |
| transfer | from philosophy of science: normative standards of causal explanation from the philosophy of science, used to characterise what conspiracy theories are Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | transfers[1] |
| mechanism | immunity to disconfirmation because the theory posits that conspirators use stealth and disinformation, any evidence against it can be read as part of the cover-up - including the debunker Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | mechanisms[0] |
| mechanism | belief protection by reattribution disconfirming evidence is recast as the product of a conspiracy, so a cherished belief survives contact with the evidence against it Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | mechanisms[1] |
| mechanism | compensatory blame attributing negative outcomes to powerful others lets the self and in-group stay competent and moral while explaining their disadvantage Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | mechanisms[2] |
| qualifies | early theories holding that conspiracy belief gives compensatory satisfaction when needs are threatened Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[0] |
| builds-on | system-justification theory, from which the three-motive taxonomy is taken Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[1] |
| distinguishes-from | the normative standards of causal explanation used in science Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[2] |
| sense | 'conspiracy theory' = an explanation of an important event by secret plots of powerful and malevolent groups Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | senses[0] |
| sense | its three defining attributes are SPECULATIVE, COMPLEX and RESISTANT TO FALSIFICATION - properties of the explanation's form, not its content Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | senses[1] |
| sense | each attribute is the negation of a normative standard for causal explanation - empirically warranted, parsimonious, falsifiable Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | senses[2] |
| sense | the three-motive taxonomy is called 'a useful HEURISTIC', borrowed from system-justification theory rather than derived Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | senses[3] |
| sense | 'more appealing than satisfying' - the paper's own summary of the gap between what draws people and what they get Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | senses[4] |
| control | evidence from the population the claim is about - people whose psychological needs are chronically or experimentally threatened — absent-stated-about-other Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. — rules out rival readings of the needs-to-conspiracy link - and the paper's point is that the existing samples CANNOT eliminate them, because the people studied are not the threatened population the claim is about Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[0] |
| control | an experimental baseline for the control manipulation, against which conspiracy belief was compared — held Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. — rules out a level of conspiracy belief being read as heightened when nothing establishes what the ordinary level is Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[1] |
| control | whether exposure to conspiracy theories helps rather than harms - tested directly rather than assumed from the correlational pattern — failed Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. — rules out a correlation between powerlessness and conspiracy belief being read as conspiracy theories SERVING the need - the experiment tests the direction the correlation cannot Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[2] |
| control | whether the trust effect is specific to the institutions a given theory names — held Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. — rules out a fall in institutional trust that is about the institution the theory names rather than about institutions Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[3] |
| note | early theories holding that conspiracy belief gives compensatory satisfaction when needs are threatened — the attraction is confirmed and the compensation is not - people turn to them when threatened, and are left less in control Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[0] |
| weight | early theories holding that conspiracy belief gives compensatory satisfaction when needs are threatened — 0.95 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[0] |
| weight | system-justification theory, from which the three-motive taxonomy is taken — 0.95 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[1] |
| note | the normative standards of causal explanation used in science — the definition of the object of study is stated as the negation of those standards Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[2] |
| weight | the normative standards of causal explanation used in science — 0.95 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | claim_relations[2] |
| audit | conspiracy theories —is-a→ motivated social cognition — Audit 2026-09-28: DOUBTFUL - read against its full span and kept, but conspiracy theories 'might be seen as' a manifestation of motivated social cognition; hedged. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[0] |
| note | conspiracy theories —is-a→ motivated social cognition — offered as a possibility rather than asserted - 'might be seen as an ironic or self-defeating manifestation' Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[0] |
| weight | conspiracy theories —is-a→ motivated social cognition — 0.85 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[0] |
| audit | conspiracy theories —causes→ anomie — Audit 2026-09-28: DOUBTFUL - read against its full span and kept, but it is 'plausible' that conspiracy theories cause anomie; hedged. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[2] |
| effect direction (stated by the tagger, no quotation) | conspiracy theories —causes→ anomie — increases | concept_edges[2] |
| note | conspiracy theories —causes→ anomie — the paper states this as plausible and bidirectional - 'not only a symptom but also a cause' Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[2] |
| weight | conspiracy theories —causes→ anomie — 0.85 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[2] |
| audit | collective narcissism —causes→ conspiracy theories — Audit 2026-09-28: DOUBTFUL - read against its full span and kept, but the span writes 'conspiracy belief', not 'conspiracy theories' (named in the previous sentence). Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[3] |
| effect direction (stated by the tagger, no quotation) | collective narcissism —causes→ conspiracy theories — increases | concept_edges[3] |
| evidential status | collective narcissism —causes→ conspiracy theories — ASSOCIATIONAL, IN A REVIEW OF SURVEY FINDINGS: 'conspiracy belief is associated with narcissism ... Conspiracy belief is also predicted by collective narcissism'. 'Associated with' and 'predicted by' are the paper's own verbs, and the edge type is stronger than either. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[3] |
| weight | collective narcissism —causes→ conspiracy theories — 0.85 Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concept_edges[3] |
| outcome | control — absent-stated-about-other Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[0] |
| outcome | control — held Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[1] |
| outcome | control — failed Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[2] |
| outcome | control — held Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | controls[3] |
| limitation | the literature answers what drives conspiracy belief far more thoroughly than what it does to the believer Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | limitations[0] |
| limitation | the experimental samples are undergraduates and survey panellists who are neither threatened nor inclined to endorse conspiracy theories - not the population the claim is about Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | limitations[1] |
| limitation | conspiracy theories sometimes turn out to be true, and have brought real elite misconduct to light Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | limitations[2] |
| limitation | fair tests require controlled longitudinal work on disadvantaged and threatened populations, which has not been done Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | limitations[3] |
finding · quantity · variable · definition · key-term — grounded in the full text| finding | Conspiracy belief appears to stem from epistemic, existential and social motives; research has yet to show it serves them. Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.findings[0] |
| finding | exposure suppresses the sense of autonomy and control and reduces willingness to vote or engage in party politics Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.findings[1] |
| finding | exposure decreases trust in governmental institutions even when the theory is unrelated to them Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.findings[2] |
| finding | conspiracy belief correlates with lower analytic thinking, lower education, and perceiving agency where there is none Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.findings[3] |
| variable | conspiracy belief Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.variables[0] |
| variable | narcissism Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.variables[1] |
| definition | conspiracy theories Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.definitions[0] |
| definition | collective narcissism Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.definitions[1] |
| definition | anomie Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.definitions[2] |
| concept | conspiracy theories — not defined in this paper's own words; explanations for important events involving secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[0] |
| concept | epistemic — not defined in this paper's own words; the motive class covering understanding, accuracy and subjective certainty Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[1] |
| concept | existential — not defined in this paper's own words; the motive class covering control and security Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[2] |
| concept | social — not defined in this paper's own words; the motive class covering a positive image of self and group Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[3] |
| concept | system-justification theory — not defined in this paper's own words; where the three-motive taxonomy comes from - it is borrowed, not derived here Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[4] |
| concept | cheater detection — not defined in this paper's own words; the proposed function by which a conspiracy theory is meant to make people feel safer Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[5] |
| concept | collective narcissism — not defined in this paper's own words; belief in the in-group's greatness paired with a belief that others do not appreciate it Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[6] |
| concept | anomie — a feeling of personal unrest and lack of understanding of the social world Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[7] |
| concept | motivated social cognition — not defined in this paper's own words; the frame the paper places conspiracy belief in, and calls self-defeating Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | concepts[8] |
| correlational association between conspiracy belief and analytic thinking | Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | content_tags.statistics[0] |
| claim type | mechanism — a second reading DIFFERING from the recorded value; recorded: critique Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | alternatives.claim_type |
| method | review — a second reading DIFFERING from the recorded value; recorded: review Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | alternatives.method |
| phenomenon | the epistemic, existential and social motives that draw people to conspiracy theories — a second reading DIFFERING from the recorded value; recorded: conspiracy belief as motivated social cognition that may thwart the very motives it answers Quotation withheld — this paper is not ours to reproduce, and the page has already quoted as much of it as the rights layer allows. The tag, its field and its confidence stand; the sentence is at the publisher. | alternatives.phenomenon |
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