The introduction of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into educational practices has been transformative, yet it brings a crucial concern about the potential distortion of users' beliefs. Given the prevalence of GenAI among college students, examining the psychological mechanisms that lead to GenAI distortion from both technological factors and the individual's psychological processes is a critical priority. A mixed-methods approach is employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Study 1 (N = 10) revealed through qualitative analysis that GenAI's fluent outputs significantly engaged college students, eliciting positive emotional responses during an interaction. GenAI's tendency to conflate fact with fiction often led to presentations of unrealistic and exaggerated information, potentially distorting users' perceptions of reality-a phenomenon termed GenAI distortion. Following these insights, Study 2 (cross-sectional survey, N = 999) and Study 3 (experimental manipulation, N = 175) explored how GenAI fluency affects college students' GenAI distortion and examined the mediating effect of positive affect. The results indicated that GenAI fluency predicts GenAI distortion via the mediating role of positive affect. Our findings provide theoretical foundations and practical implications for understanding GenAI distortion among college students.

翻译：生成式人工智能（GenAI）在教育实践中的应用具有变革性，但也引发了对用户信念潜在失真的关键担忧。鉴于GenAI在大学生中的普及，从技术因素及个体心理过程两方面探究导致GenAI失真的心理机制已成为重要研究重点。本研究采用混合方法检验所提出的假设。研究1（N=10）通过定性分析揭示：GenAI流畅的输出能显著吸引大学生，并在互动过程中激发积极情感反应；而GenAI混淆事实与虚构的倾向常导致呈现不切实际且夸张的信息，可能扭曲用户对现实的认知——这一现象称为GenAI失真。基于上述发现，研究2（横截面调查，N=999）和研究3（实验操控，N=175）进一步探究GenAI流畅性如何影响大学生的GenAI失真，并检验积极情感的中介效应。结果表明，GenAI流畅性通过积极情感的中介作用预测GenAI失真。本研究为理解大学生中的GenAI失真现象提供了理论基础与实践启示。