Investigating the Potential of Inoculation Messages and Self-Affirmation in Reducing the Effects of Health Misinformation

• Published in: Science communication Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 768 - 804
• Main Authors: Iles, Irina A., Gillman, Arielle S., Platter, Heather N., Ferrer, Rebecca A., Klein, William M. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-12-2021; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: False information; Inoculation; Medical screening; breast cancer screening; inoculation; self-affirmation; misinformation
• ISSN: 1075-5470; 1552-8545
• DOI: 10.1177/10755470211048480

We investigated the effectiveness of inoculation and self-affirmation interventions in neutralizing effects of health misinformation. Women (N=854) recruited via Prolific were randomly assigned to self-affirm (or not) and read an inoculation (versus control) message detailing five common attributes of misinformation. All participants read an article with misinformation about breast cancer screening and reported their reactions to the article. The inoculation (vs control) message reduced the negative effects of misinformation, as assessed by resistance-related measures, attitudes, and intentions. Experimentally induced self-affirmation did not show protective effects against misinformation, but the inoculation intervention was stronger among participants higher in self-reported spontaneous self-affirmation.