Research Project: Gazete Okuma Ve Sosyal Medya Kullanımının Bireylerin Covid-192dan Koruyucu Davranışta Bulunma Eğilimlerine Etkisi
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Contributors
Funders
ID
TB.00498
Authors
Baruh, Lemi
Faculty Member
Publications
Partisan bias in COVID-19 conspiracy theories: news reliance and the moderating role of trust in health authorities
(Taylor and Francis, 2023) Baruh, Lemi; Çarkoğlu, Ali; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Wu, Yuanyuan; Kuru, Ozan; Yildirim, Kerem; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of International Relations; Department of Psychology; Yes; College of Administrative Sciences and Economics; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Neglecting the role of political bias in the public's perceptions of health authorities could be deceptive when studying potentially politicized COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CCTs); however, previous studies often treated health authorities as a single entity and did not distinguish between different types of CCTs. Drawing from motivated reasoning theory, we investigate the politically motivated nature of CCTs by examining their associations with individuals' media reliance, party identification, conspiratorial mentality, and importantly, trust in (politicized or independent) health authorities. In a national survey conducted in late 2020 (N = 2,239) in Turkey, a heavily polarized context, we found that not accounting for political identities shown in CCTs and health authorities could be misleading. While those with a strong conspiracy mentality were more likely to endorse all types of CCTs, party identification and trust in different types of health authorities led people to believe in certain CCTs aligning with their political attitudes. The influence of media reliance on CCTs depended on the level of trust in health authorities, again suggestive of the influence of political partialities.
The effect of thinking styles on belief in conspiracy theories in the context of Covid-19
(Springer Nature, 2025) Ustaoğlu, Batuhan; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Baruh, Lemi; Kuru, Ozan; Department of Psychology; Yes; Ustaoğlu, Batuhan; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
In the present study, we investigated the relationship between cognitive style (analytical vs. intuitive), illusory pattern perception, and belief in conspiracy theories within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. To supplement extant research that has primarily focused on the impact of analytical thinking on beliefs in conspiracy theories, we employed a unique approach by manipulating intuitive thinking. Participants were instructed to respond to both general and Covid-19 conspiracy questions under conditions of time pressure (to induce intuitive thinking), time delay (to induce analytical thinking), or no time constraints. The findings indicate that individuals who were prompted to provide intuitive responses within a limited timeframe are more inclined to believe in Covid-19 conspiracy theories, whereas this effect was not observed for general conspiracy beliefs. Additionally, the tendency to perceive illusory patterns moderated the relationship between thinking styles and conspiracy beliefs. Higher illusory pattern perception led to higher beliefs in conspiracies among participants under time pressure.
Biased perceptions against female scientists affect intentions to get vaccinated for COVID-19
(Sage Publications Ltd, 2022) Baruh, Lemi; Çarkoğlu, Ali; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Doğan, İsminaz; Kuru, Ozan; Yıldırım, Kerem; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of International Relations; Department of Psychology; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; Yes; College of Administrative Sciences and Economics; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
Based on role congruity theory, we investigated how gender bias may influence public attitudes toward the vaccine in Turkey. Using a between-subjects design, we tested whether an emphasis on the female versus the male scientist as the vaccine's inventor in a news story influenced attitudes about the BioNTech vaccine and vaccination intentions. Partly confirming role congruity theory, three-way interaction results from 665 participants demonstrated that among male participants with a stronger belief in traditional gender roles (compared to males with lower belief), the presence of the female inventor, either by herself or together with the male inventor, decreased the perceived efficacy and safety of the vaccine and reduced intentions to be vaccinated by the BioNTech vaccine. We did not observe such differences for women. These findings highlight how gender bias may influence individuals' information processing and decision making in a way that may have negative consequences for public health.
"Oh no, they caught it!": vicarious experience of COVID-19, protection motivation and protective behaviors
(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2023) Elazab, Ahmoud Mohamed Khaled; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Baruh, Lemi; Özden, Mehmet; Department of Psychology; Yes; College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Utilizing the components of the protection motivation theory, this study investigated the role of close others' diagnosis of COVID-19 (as a vicarious experience) in individuals' adherence to protective behavior against COVID-19. Path analysis of online survey data from 3695 participants showed that the presence of a diagnosed close other was positively related to perceived vulnerability, while being negatively related to perceived response efficacy and self-efficacy. In addition, perceived severity and efficacy appraisals were positively associated with protective behavioral tendencies. Although efficacy appraisal mediated the relationship between vicarious experience and protective behavior, threat appraisal did not mediate this relationship. In sum, the results suggest that efficacy appraisal derived from vicarious experiences can be more consequential for protective behaviors than threat appraisal. Implications of these results on future large-scale health crises are discussed along with limitations and future directions.
Partisan bias in Covid-19 conspiracy theories: news reliance and the moderating role of trust in health authorities
(Routledge, 2024) Baruh, Lemi; Çarkoğlu, Ali; Cemalcılar, Zeynep; Wu, Yuanyuan; Kuru, Ozan; Yıldırım, Kerem; Department of Media and Visual Arts; Department of International Relations; Department of Psychology; Yes; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; College of Administrative Sciences and Economics
Neglecting the role of political bias in the public’s perceptions of health authorities could be deceptive when studying potentially politicized COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CCTs);however, previous studies often treated health authorities as a single entity and did not distinguish between different types of CCTs. Drawing from motivated reasoning theory, we investigate the politically motivated nature of CCTs by examining their associations with individuals’ media reliance, party identification, conspiratorial mentality, and importantly, trust in (politicized or independent) health authorities. In a national survey conducted in late 2020 (N = 2,239) in Turkey, a heavily polarized context, we found that not accounting for political identities shown in CCTs and health authorities could be misleading. While those with a strong conspiracy mentality were more likely to endorse all types of CCTs, party identification and trust in different types of health authorities led people to believe in certain CCTs aligning with their political attitudes. The influence of media reliance on CCTs depended on the level of trust in health authorities, again suggestive of the influence of political partialities. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
