Given the potential political and social significance of conspiracy beliefs, a substantial and growing body of work examines the individual-level correlates of belief in conspiracy theories and general conspiratorial predispositions. However, although we know much about the psychological antecedents of conspiracy endorsement, we know less about the individual-level political causes of these prevalent and consequential beliefs. Our work draws from the extant literature to posit that endorsement of conspiracy theories is a motivated process that serves both ideological and psychological needs. In doing so, we develop a theory that identifies a particular type of person-one who is both highly knowledgeable about politics and lacking in trust-who is most susceptible to ideologically motivated conspiracy endorsement. Further, we demonstrate that the moderators of belief in conspiracy theories are strikingly different for conservatives and liberals. Contrary to the popular conception that conspiracy theorists are a small group of tinfoil hat-wearing men who spend most of their time in bunkers, conspiracy theories (CTs) are not solely the domain of extremists and paranoids. They cut across demographics and political attitudes (e.g., Goertzel 1994) and are common in countries across the globe (e.g., Byford and Billig 2001;Zonis and Joseph 1994). They are also pervasive: Oliver and Wood (2014, 953) report that across recent nationally representative surveys, "over half Joanne M. Miller is Associate Professor of Despite the consistent evidence regarding the psychological needs that conspiracy endorsement satisfies, as Uscinski and Parent (2014, 11) rightly note, this explanation

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Caveolae and detergent-insoluble, glycosphingolipidenriched domains (DIGs) are cholesterol-enriched membrane domains that have been implicated in signal transduction because a variety of signaling proteins as well as phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PtdInsP 2 ) are compartmentalized in these domains. We report here that depletion of cellular cholesterol leads to the inhibition of epidermal growth factor-and bradykininstimulated PtdIns turnover in A431 cells. This is associated with the loss of compartmentalization of epidermal growth factor receptors, G q , and PtdInsP 2 in the low density membrane domains. Replacement of cellular cholesterol leads to the reorganization of signaling molecules in the low density domains and the reestablishment of hormone-stimulated PtdIns hydrolysis. Oxysterol derivatives show a variable ability to functionally replace the cholesterol in this system. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that localization of signaling proteins and lipids to cholesterol-enriched domains is required for the proper function of hormonestimulated PtdIns turnover.

A number of studies have explored the possibility that the ordering of candidates' names on the ballot might influence how those candidates perform on election day. Strong evidence of an order effect comes from investigations of election returns in states that implemented quasi-random assignment of candidate name orders to voters. Although most such studies have identified benefits for earlier-listed candidates, much of the evidence comes from a limited set of elections in only a handful of states. This paper expands our understanding of order effects to 31 general elections held in North Dakota between 2000 and 2006; these include all statewide races involving 2 candidates. A primacy effect appeared in 80% of the contests. The first ballot position reaped the largest benefits in nonpartisan contests and in presidential election years. These findings are consistent with earlier studies from other states and provide evidence in line with proposals that a lack of information and ambivalence underlie candidate name order effects.

Along with criticisms of the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions to home, work, and school life resulting from social distancing orders recommended by public health experts, as well as the uncertainty about how long the disruptions will be necessary and when (if ever) we will have a vaccine, have come COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CTs).