Key findings: (i) Attribution to a credible friend of a friend increased a rumor’s perceived plausibility, and participants’ willingness to share it. 2/5
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(ii) Credible friend of a friend attributions remained stable across multiple transmissions, instead of the number of friends mentioned increasing with each transmission, i.e. participants systematically shortened the sources when sharing the rumors. 3/5
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(iii) Rumors attributed to a single (not credible) friend dominated linear transmission chains. But ecological transmission chains taking into account redundancy allowed the credible friend of a friend to persist or dominate—as it seems to be the case in the wild. 4/5
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(iv) This preference for attributing rumors to a credible friend of a friend may reflect reputation management considerations. Notably by allowing senders to score social points while minimizing their epistemic responsibility in case the rumor turns out to be false. 5/5
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