Editing Rumor (section)

== Social Cognition ==
In 2004, Prashant Bordia and Nicholas DiFonzo published their ''Problem Solving in Social Interactions on the Internet: Rumor As Social Cognition'' and found that rumor transmission is probably reflective of a "collective explanation process."<ref name=internet>{{cite journal|last1=Bordia|first1=Prashant|author2=Nicolas DiFonzo|title=Problem Solving in Social Interactions on the Internet: Rumor As Social Cognition|journal=Social Psychology Quarterly|volume=67|issue=1|pages=33–49|date=March 2004|doi=10.1177/019027250406700105|jstor=3649102|s2cid=144046301}}</ref> This conclusion was based on an analysis of archived message board discussions in which the statements were coded and analysed. It was found that 29% (the majority) of statements within these discussions could be coded as "sense-making" statements, which involved, "[...] attempts at solving a problem."<ref name=internet/>

It was noted that the rest of the discussion was constructed around these statements, further reinforcing the idea of collective problem solving. The researchers also found that each rumor went through a four-stage pattern of development in which a rumor was introduced for discussion, information was volunteered and discussed, and finally a resolution was drawn or interest was lost.<ref name=internet/>

For the study, archived discussions concerning rumors on the internet and other computer networks such as BITnet were retrieved. As a rule, each discussion had a minimum of five statements posted over a period of at least two days. The statements were then coded as being one of the following: ''prudent'', ''apprehensive'', ''authenticating'', ''interrogatory'', ''providing information'', ''belief'', ''disbelief'', ''sense-making'', ''digressive'', or ''un-codable''. Each rumor discussion was then analysed based on this coding system. A similar coding system based on statistical analysis was applied to each discussion as a whole, and the aforementioned four-stage pattern of rumor discussion emerged.

There are four components of managing rumors that both of you need to understand for the sake of your relationship's success.{{clarify|reason=Who is addressing whom here?|date=November 2019}} The first, '''anxiety (situational and personality)''', is when people who either have a more anxious personality, or people who are in an anxiety- lifting situation are more likely to create rumors in order to relieve some of their insecurities. The second component of managing rumors is '''ambiguity'''. Ambiguity is when someone is not sure about what is going on, so they end up assuming the worst. The third component is '''information importance'''. . Information is key, and if that information is not juicy or if it does not interest people, there won't be rumors, but information can often be false. Information can also be ambiguous. The last component of managing rumors is '''credibility.''' Rumors are often spread by sources that are not credible. A rumor itself is not credible unless it is proven to be true. That is why people say to never trust the tabloids.