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ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Motivated Ignorance — The Cognitive Structure of 'Not Wanting to Know'

descriptionPublicationkeyboard_double_arrow_right Article 21 Mar 2026 English Publisher:Zenodo
Authors: Yokota, Naoya;

doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20249297 , 10.5281/zenodo.20249298

Motivated Ignorance — The Cognitive Structure of 'Not Wanting to Know'

Abstract

Analyzing the mechanism by which individuals voluntarily choose to 'remain ignorant' rather than being forced into ignorance from external sources, from a cognitive science perspective. Examining how the 'illusion of knowledge' demonstrated by Sloman & Fernbach's 'The Knowledge Illusion' and motivated reasoning form the individual-level foundation of structural ignorance.

Japanese version available at https://isvd.or.jp/ja/labs/agnotology/essay-motivated-ignorance-self-deception (canonical English version at https://isvd.or.jp/en/labs/agnotology/essay-motivated-ignorance-self-deception).

Keywords

cognitive-science, information-literacy, agnotology

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citations
The total number of citations received by all articles of the researcher of interest.
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
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