Accidentally Corrected? Examining the Effects of Incidental Corrective Information Exposure among the Middle-aged and Elderly

Key Points

• This research aims to understand the psychological mechanisms between incidental exposure to corrective health information and the prevalence of incorrect health beliefs in older adults.
• Utilized a cognitive mediation model and family communication framework.
• Employed a mixed-methods approach for data collection and analysis.
• Focused on the middle-aged and elderly population affected by misinformation.
• Found that cognitive processing mediates the relationship between incidental exposure and erroneous health beliefs.
• Identified significant negative correlations in high dialogue and low compliance groups.
• Demonstrated that family communication patterns also moderate the effects.