The influence of the need for cognitive closure on the belief in generic conspiracy theories in military population

From the lay epistemic theory we derive the concept of Need for Cognitive Closure, which contemplates the underlying cognitive and motivational elements of individuals in the construction and use of knowledge, as well as in decision making and information search. The construct admits a gradient ranging from a high need for cognitive closure, i.e., seeking definitive and specific answers and reducing states of uncertainty, to a low need for cognitive closure, which allows coexisting with diverse causal explanations and tolerating ambiguity. This construct is constituted by two dimensions, the tendency to urgency, which is characterized by a state of rapid search for information, and the tendency to permanence, which seeks to freeze and make the information obtained impermeable. Conspiracy theories, in turn, have made it possible to give meaning to experience when conditions seem uncertain and random. Fulfilling the function of observing the world as something orderly and predictable. In relation to the influence of NCC on information processing, the present work sought to conduct an exploratory study on the existence of possible relationships with conspiracy theories. The Test-Revised Need for Cognitive Closure (TR-NCC) and the Generic Conspiracy Theories (GCB) scale were used in a sample of 267 participants. The results support the relationship between the tendency to urgency and certain dimensions of the GCB.