How Confidence in Prior Attitudes, Social Tag Popularity, and Source Credibility Shape Confirmation Bias Toward Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in a Representative German Sample: Randomized Controlled Web-Based Study
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 520
- 主要终点
- Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants
研究概览
简要总结
The study examines whether people primarily want to confirm their prior attitudes in health-related information search, in an online environment using social tags for navigation. Participants were looking for information on the treatment of depression with antidepressants and psychotherapy. They were randomly assigned to two groups with either high or low credibility of the community who provides social tags, and two groups where participants' confidence in prior attitudes was heightened or lowered, and to two groups where either antidepressant tags were more popular or psychotherapy was more popular. The investigators measured attitude change toward the treatments and also navigation behavior.
详细描述
In health-related, Web-based information searches, people should select information in line with expert (vs nonexpert) information, independent of their prior attitudes and consequent confirmation bias.
This study aimed to investigate confirmation bias in mental health-related information searches, particularly (1) if high confidence worsens confirmation bias, (2) if social tags eliminate the influence of prior attitudes, and (3) if people successfully distinguish high and low source credibility.
In total, 520 participants of a representative sample of the German Web-based population were recruited via a panel company. Among them, 48.1% (250/520) participants completed the fully automated study. Participants provided prior attitudes about antidepressants and psychotherapy. The investigators manipulated (1) confidence in prior attitudes when participants searched for blog posts about the treatment of depression, (2) tag popularity -either psychotherapy or antidepressant tags were more popular, and (3) source credibility with banners indicating high or low expertise of the tagging community. The investigators measured tag and blog post selection, and treatment efficacy ratings after navigation.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Factorial
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- Double (Participant, Investigator)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 60 Years（Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Online Population - Internet Browser, Representative Sample of Germans with respect to age and region
排除标准
- •No Internet Browser
研究组 & 干预措施
Social Tag Popularity
Popularity of Social Tags (antidepressants more popular vs. psychotherapy more popular)
干预措施: Social Tag Popularity (Other)
Confidence in Prior Attitudes
Confidence in prior attitudes (high vs. low: recalling situations in which participants were confident or uncertain about their thoughts)
干预措施: Confidence in Prior Attitudes (Other)
Source Credibility
Credibility of the source (tagging community: experts - many years of professional experience vs. novices - students in the first semester)
干预措施: Source Credibility (Other)
结局指标
主要结局
Attitudinal Preference Score of Psychotherapy over Antidepressants
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. Prior to and after information search phase in the study.
The investigators constructed a questionnaire to measure the attitudinal preference of psychotherapy over antidepressant treatments of depressive disorders. On a 7-point likert scale, participants rate the degree of efficacy of antidepressant and psychotherapy treatments, on 8 items (e.g. item 1: "Antidepressants/Psychotherapy are/is effective in treating depression."). An index score for the degree of preference of psychotherapy is calculated by subtracting the average antidepressants score from the average psychotherapy treatment rating score for each participant. To analyse if attitudinal preferences predict the number of clicks on social tags and blog posts, the treatment preference score is entered in a logistic regression as predictor. Ratings are inquired at the beginning of the 1 hour study (prior attitudes), and at the end of the study (attitude change).
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment tags
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant tags can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
Count of clicks on antidepressant and psychotherapy treatment blog posts
时间窗: Through study completion, an average of 1 hour. During the information search phase in the study.
Both, psychotherapy and antidepressant blog posts can be clicked on, and are counted respectively. An index score will be calculated for each participant subtracting the sum of clicks on antidepressants from the sum of clicks on psychotherapy, to analyse if clicks are associated with the treatment preference measured by prior treatment attitudes.
次要结局
未报告次要终点
研究者
Stefan Schweiger
Researcher
Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien