Paper short abstract:

Conspiracies work as a successful form of cultural cognition in times of uncertainty and polarization by beating the "bottleneck effect" that affects comprehension of culture in real time. Conspiracies elicit engagement, are memorable, and provide access points to larger realms of cultural thinking.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation will argue that conspiracy thinking is understandable through considering the constraints that shape culture. This constraint approach is inspired by Marr’s (1982) groundbreaking work in neuroscience as well as recent research on how constraints shape language, in particular the bottleneck effect (Christiansen & Chater 2016). In this view, conspiracy thinking is a cultural problem, rather than one of individual psychology or flawed rationality. Conspiracy thinking emerges in the same ways other types of cultural thinking emerges – in real time, drawing on local resources, and within specific speech and meaning communities.

Using examples from the United States, this paper will first outline social factors that promote conspiracy thinking including sociopolitical turmoil and uncertainty, polarization of ideas and groups, and specific authority figures that can buttress conspiracy thinking. Given these social factors, conspiracy thinking can be more successful that other types of cultural cognition at engaging the brain in real time and beating the bottleneck effect that affects comprehension. First, conspiracy thinking is particularly good at eliciting effort and engagement, rather than being simply infectious – people search and then find these explanations compelling. Second, conspiracy theories are good at providing “access points” that open up broader generalizations for individuals, and gain strength by how they draw on cultural and social contrasts to make a cognitive explanation clear and distinct. Finally, conspiracy thinking uses these contrasts to create us-versus-them thinking and support narratives in ways that create meaning communities, particular when authority figures can reinforce this type of thinking.