Title |
Measuring adolescents’ beliefs in conspiracy theories: Development and validation of the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ)
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Published in |
British Journal of Developmental Psychology, February 2021
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DOI | 10.1111/bjdp.12368 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Daniel Jolley, Karen M. Douglas, Yvonne Skipper, Eleanor Thomas, Darel Cookson |
Abstract |
Four studies (total n = 961) developed and validated the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ). Initial items were developed in collaboration with teachers. An exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, n = 208, aged 11-14) and a student focus group (N = 3, aged 11) enabled us to establish the factor structure of a 9-item scale. This was replicated via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (N = 178, aged 11-17), and the scale displayed good convergent (i.e., relationship with paranoia and mistrust) and discriminant validity (i.e., no relationship with extraversion). Study 3a (N = 257) further tested convergent validity with a sample of 18-year-olds (i.e., relationship with adult-validated measures of conspiracy beliefs) and demonstrated strong test-retest reliability. Study 3b (N = 318) replicated these findings with a mixed-age adult sample. The ACBQ will allow researchers to explore the psychological antecedents and consequences of conspiracy thinking in young populations. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 22 | 25% |
United States | 7 | 8% |
Japan | 5 | 6% |
Belgium | 3 | 3% |
Canada | 2 | 2% |
France | 2 | 2% |
Germany | 1 | 1% |
Sri Lanka | 1 | 1% |
Austria | 1 | 1% |
Other | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 43 | 49% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 60 | 68% |
Scientists | 18 | 20% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 5 | 6% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 5% |
Unknown | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 94 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 13 | 14% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 9 | 10% |
Student > Master | 8 | 9% |
Lecturer | 5 | 5% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 5% |
Other | 21 | 22% |
Unknown | 33 | 35% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 35 | 37% |
Social Sciences | 5 | 5% |
Unspecified | 4 | 4% |
Business, Management and Accounting | 2 | 2% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 1% |
Other | 9 | 10% |
Unknown | 38 | 40% |