correctappeared

Correctappeared is a term used in information design and cognitive psychology to describe a perceptual phenomenon in which a statement that is initially judged as false or uncertain becomes perceived as correct after the presentation of additional information, correction, or contextual framing. The effect centers on the difference between factual accuracy and perceived accuracy, emphasizing how presentation, source cues, or timing can alter judgments about truth.

Origin and scope: The term is a relatively recent coinage in discussions of misinformation and fact-checking, proposed to capture a specific cognitive response observed in laboratory and field studies. It does not claim that the original statement becomes factually correct; rather, it notes that readers or listeners may adopt the corrected interpretation due to framing, confirmation bias, or attention to updated sources.

Mechanisms: Key mechanisms include framing effects, selective attention, source credibility, and the sequence of information delivery. Corrections that appear shortly after a claim, or that come from trusted sources, are more likely to produce a correctappeared perception, even if the initial claim was not accurately interpreted.

Applications: Researchers use the concept to evaluate the effectiveness of fact-checking, editorial design, and educational materials. Designers can reduce correctappeared risk by providing explicit, primary-source links, transparent revision histories, and neutral framing.

See also: illusion of truth effect, backfire effect, misinformation correction, cognitive bias.