Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

College

College of Science and Health

First Advisor

Sandra Virtue

Abstract

This study explored how textual constraint and individual differences influence the hemispheric processing of inferences as individuals read about conspiracy theories. In Study 1, participants judged the likelihood of a conspiracy after reading either a clear cause (i.e., strongly constrained text), a vague cause (i.e., weakly constrained text), or neutral text about a historical event. In addition, several individual difference measures were administered to participants. It was found that participants were more likely to report that official explanations were not accurate (i.e., indicating a possible conspiracy) after reading a vague text compared to a clear text. However, participants who scored high in self-reported measures of schizotypal personality were more likely to report that official explanations were not accurate despite the type of text. In Study 2, participants completed a lexical decision task in a divided visual field paradigm after reading a clear cause, a vague cause, or a neutral text about a historical event. In a lexical decision task, participants responded to conspiracy-related target words and nonwords presented quickly to the left visual field-right hemisphere and right visual field-left hemisphere. Response times and facilitation effects were analyzed. The right hemisphere showed positive facilitation for both conditions (i.e., Clear and Vague), whereas the left hemisphere showed positive facilitation for the vague condition, but not the clear condition. For individuals who rated themselves higher on schizotypy, facilitation was similar across text types and hemispheres, indicating attenuation of typical hemispheric asymmetries. Thus, conspiracy-related targets were facilitated by both hemispheres, consistent with these concepts being more strongly and readily activated for individuals with higher levels of schizotypal personality traits, which is correlated with increased conspiracy belief. In sum, the type of text used impacted both overt conspiracy belief, and the underlying neural processes used when generating inferences about the texts.

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