学进去

A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs l.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

If you answered 10 cents, you are not alone—most people give the same answer（the answer is wrong）. It’s an example of how we often depend on intuitive responses（直觉反应）—answers we feel are true. People give answers that “pop into their mind,” says cognitive scientist Steven Sloman. We don’t spend much time “reflecting and checking whether the answer…is right or wrong.”

The bat and ball question helps explain why we often believe in fake（虚假的）news. It is part of human nature to believe, says Sloman. But “the trick with fake news is to know to verify”—in other words, to stop and check what you know.

In one experiment, Sloman and a colleague invented a discovery called helium rain. They told a group of volunteers about it, but they did not fully explain what it was. They then asked the volunteers to rate（评等级）their own understanding of helium rain. Most volunteers rated themselves 1 out of 7, meaning they didn’t understand it.

The researchers then told another group of volunteers about the discovery. This time, they said the scientists could full y explain how it works. The volunteers gave an average answer of 2. The scientists’ confidence gave the volunteers an increased sense of their own understanding of it, Sloman says.

According to Sloman, studies show that knowledge spreads like a contagion（接触传染）. This idea can be seen in many fields, including politics（政治）. “If everyone around you is saying they understand why a politician is dishonest,” Sloman Bays, “then you are going to start thinking that you understand, too.”

So, in a world where misleading information is common, is there a way to protect ourselves? “I don’t think it’s possible to train persons to check everything that they encounter（遇到）,” Sloman admitted. “It is just too human to believe what you are told.”

However, training people to care about fact-checking is important, he argued, especially in online communities. Think of the headlines and stories that are shared on your social media feed every day. Probably these fit in with your own worldview—but perhaps not all of them are true.

“We should check things and not just take them at face value,” Sloman said, “Make sure if it is true before you believe.”