Read Between the Li(n)es: Lateral Reading Training Promotes Information Discernment, Analytic Thinking, and Persuasion Knowledge

<p>In the current digital ecosystem, teaching individuals to critically evaluate sources is crucial for combating misinformation. Lateral reading is a cognitive strategy that can help people judge source credibility before reading an article. This preregistered randomized controlled study (N = 344) examined the effectiveness of two lateral reading interventions, a one-hour, cognitive apprenticeship-based training and one-page self-guided learning materials, on participants’ ability to judge information credibility and process it analytically. Using Bayesian regression analyses, we found that both interventions increased credibility judgments. While participants’ analytic thinking increased in both intervention conditions, it decreased in the control condition. Higher analytic thinking was also associated with more accurate credibility judgments. This study is among the first to measure persuasion knowledge as an outcome of interventions against misinformation, indicating that the interventions enhanced participants’ awareness of tactics used by unreliable information sources. Both interventions shifted participants’ focus away from content toward source evaluation, which was associated with more accurate credibility judgments. These findings confirm that lateral reading interventions are effective tools for fostering critical evaluation skills, that they enhance analytic thinking, shift assessment strategies, and bolster persuasion knowledge. Future research should explore long-term outcomes, motivational factors, and the role of persuasion knowledge in diverse populations.</p>