Sometimes retracted or thoroughly refuted scientific information is used and propagated long after it is understood to be misleading. Likewise, sometimes retracted news items spread and persist, even after it has been publicly established that they are false. In this paper, we use agent-based models of epistemic networks to explore the dynamics of retraction.In particular, we focus on why false beliefs might persist, even in the face of retraction.Surprisingly, we find that in some cases delaying retraction may increase its impact. We also find that retractions are most successful when issued by the original source of misinformation rather than a separate source.

中文翻译：

---

认知网络中的回缩动力学

有时，撤回或彻底驳斥的科学信息在被理解为具有误导性后很长时间才被使用和传播。同样，有时撤回的新闻会传播并持续存在，即使在公开确定它们是虚假的之后也是如此。在本文中，我们使用基于代理的认知网络模型来探索撤回的动态。特别是，我们关注为什么即使面对撤回，错误信念仍可能持续存在。令人惊讶的是，我们发现在某些情况下延迟撤回可能增加其影响。我们还发现，当由错误信息的原始来源而不是单独的来源发布时，撤回最成功。