Why Repetition Feels Like Evidence

1:04 · 2026-07-15

Familiarity is not proof.

The useful part

The only thing that counts is whether you checked.

Watch on

Sources behind this episode

Experimental mechanism paperEffects of Perceptual Fluency on Judgments of TruthReber, R., & Schwarz, N. (1999). Consciousness and Cognition, 8(3), 338-342.
Foundational experimental studyFrequency and the Conference of Referential ValidityHasher, L., Goldstein, D., & Toppino, T. (1977). Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 16(1), 107-112.
Experimental paperKnowledge Does Not Protect Against Illusory TruthFazio, L. K., Brashier, N. M., Payne, B. K., & Marsh, E. J. (2015). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(5), 993-1002.
Experimental applied studyPrior Exposure Increases Perceived Accuracy of Fake NewsPennycook, G., Cannon, T. D., & Rand, D. G. (2018). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(12), 1865-1880.
Meta-analysisThe Truth About the Truth: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Truth EffectDechene, A., Stahl, C., Hansen, J., & Wanke, M. (2010). Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(2), 238-257.