Lea-Johanna Klebba

• Cognitive biases like selective exposure and selective sharing are well-studied phenomena. However, their dynamics during crises, characterized by abundant information and disinformation, remain less explored. Research shows that political ideology, especially political conservatism, significantly influences cognitive biases and disinformation susceptibility. Additionally, underlying constructs such as Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) impact information behavior, with evidence suggesting that the interaction between RWA and perceived threat intensifies selective information processing. This assumption is based on interaction models in political psychology, notably the Threat-RWA Activation Hypothesis and the Dual Motivational Model of Ideology and Prejudice (DPM). This dissertation transfers these frameworks to communication research. In three studies, it develops and empirically tests an interaction model focusing on susceptibility to cognitive biases (selective exposure and sharing) and disinformation. The first manuscript examines the effects of selective exposure and sharing behaviors on COVID-19-related (dis)information under COVID-19 threat, with RWA and SDO as predictors. The second manuscript revisits the Threat-RWA Activation Hypothesis within (dis)information selection, while the third manuscript applies the DPM to (dis)information sharing. The findings across all manuscripts indicate no observable threat activation effects of RWA and SDO on selective exposure to and sharing of (dis)information. However, RWA consistently emerges as a significant risk factor for disinformation susceptibility. These results challenge the validity of both interaction models within communication research and shed light on groups particularly vulnerable to disinformation.