I think there are two crucial aspects of conspiracy-theory thinking that you omit in your otherwise comprehensive article. The first is that all conspiracy theories are simplistic. This is because ordinary people lack the cognitive apparatus to cope with real-world complexity. The beauty of a conspiracy theory is that it "explains" certain phenomenon by reference to a concept even a small backward child would be able to grasp. The second aspect is that conspiracy theories simply ignore internal inconsistencies. As the human brain is not evolved to cope with complexity, it's easy for not-very-intelligent people to not perceive the internal contradictions that to more intelligent people are blindingly obvious. Thus in the end, conspiracy theories depend for their success on the cognitive limitations inherent in most ordinary people.

Now the really interesting thing (for me, at least) is that there is no practical difference between religionist mythologies and conspiracy theories. They both purport to "explain" certain phenomenon by means of simple-minded fairytales, and they are both riddled with internal inconsistencies that, for clever people, render them risible. But for ordinary people the simplicity is the appeal, and so they endure for a surprisingly long time despite their inherent absurdities.