Correcting Misperceptions: The Causal Role of Motivation in Corrective Science Communication About Vaccine and Food Safety. Issue 1 (February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van Stekelenburg, Aart; Schaap, Gabi; Veling, Harm; Buijzen, Moniek
• Is Part Of: Science communication. Volume 42:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 31
• Page End: 60
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Subjects: misperceptions -- motivated reasoning -- science communication -- vaccination -- food safety; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Knowledge, Sociology of -- Periodicals; Communication in science -- Periodicals; Communication of technical information -- Periodicals; Communication in medicine -- Periodicals; Information scientifique -- Périodiques; Information technique -- Périodiques; Communication en sciences sociales -- Périodiques; Communication en médecine -- Périodiques; 300.14
• DOI: 10.1177/1075547019898256
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1075-5470

Abstract

Some people stick to beliefs that do not align with scientific consensus when faced with science communication that contradicts those misperceptions. Two preregistered experiments (total N = 1, 256) investigated the causal role of motivated reasoning in the effectiveness of correcting misperceptions. In both experiments, accuracy-driven reasoning led to a larger corrective effect of a science communication message than reasoning driven by directional motivation. Individuals' default reasoning made them just as receptive to the correction as accuracy-driven reasoning. This finding supports a more optimistic view of human receptivity to science communication than often found in the literature.