Dorje C. Brody

Dorje C. Brody, Tomooki Yuasa

When different information sources on a given topic are combined, they interact in a nontrivial manner for a rational receiver of these information sources. Suppose that there are two information sources, one is genuine and the other contains disinformation. It is shown that under the conditions that the signal-to-noise ratio of the genuine information source is sufficiently large, and that the noise terms in the two information sources are positively correlated, the effect of disinformation is reversed from its original intent. That is, the effect of disinformation on a receiver of both information sources, who is unaware of the existence of disinformation, is to generate an opposite interpretation. While the condition in which this phenomenon occurs cannot always be ensured, when it is satisfied, the effect provides an effective way of countering the impacts of disinformation.

Dorje C. Brody

Response to a poll can be manipulated by means of a series of leading questions. We show that such phenomena cannot be explained by use of classical probability theory, whereas quantum probability theory admits a possibility of offering an explanation. Admissible transformation rules in quantum probability, however, do impose some constraints on the modelling of cognitive behaviour, which are highlighted here. Focusing on a recent poll conducted by Ipsos on a set of questions posed by Sir Humphrey Appleby in an episode of the British political satire \textit{Yes, Prime Minister}, we show that the resulting data cannot be explained quite so simply using quantum rules, although it seems not impossible.