A university course teaches students why people believe false and evidence-starved claims, to show them how to determine what’s accurate and real and what’s neither.
Understanding our confirmation biases can help us tackle fake news and misinformation.
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As elections approach – and even after they’re done – there’s a lot of confusing, and deliberately misleading, information out there. Learn how to protect yourself.
It can feel safer to block out contradictory information that challenges a belief.
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Here are some reasons for the natural human tendency to avoid or reject new information that runs counter to what you already know – and some tips on how to do better.
Preclinical research — the kind that takes place before testing on humans — often guides decisions about which potential treatments should continue to clinical trials. But attempts to replicate 50 studies found the odds of getting the same results were only about 50-50.
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Preclinical studies are an important part of biomedical research, often guiding future trials in humans. Failure to replicate research results suggests a need to increase the quality of studies.
We’ve all heard an exasperated “do your research!” from people who want to persuade us to accept their claim or point of view. The problem is it’s not likely to convince anyone.
Vaccine hesitancy has been a growing challenge for more than a decade. Concerns about vaccine safety and adverse events are the most commonly cited reasons.
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To help increase trust in vaccines, researchers analyzed data on adverse events to address safety concerns, and then used cognitive science to show how cognitive biases feed vaccine hesitancy.
Are you open to new ideas and willing to change your mind?
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Science denial is not new, but researchers have learned a lot about it. Here’s why it exists, how everyone is susceptible to it in one way or another and steps to take to overcome it.
Identify and stop the lies.
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Whenever you hear about a new bit of science news, these suggestions will help you assess whether it’s more fact or fiction.
These psychological tendencies explain why an onslaught of facts won’t necessarily change anyone’s mind.
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Cognitive shortcuts help you efficiently move through a complicated world. But they come with an unwelcome side effect: Facts aren’t necessarily enough to change your mind.
Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
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Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call ‘motivated reasoning.’
And you, do you apply the #stayhome principle that is displayed everywhere on social networks?
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Involving family and friends in decisions or rethinking the meaning of “getting back to normal” helps protect against cognitive bias and its harmful consequences.
Dougal Sutherland, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Fear is a central emotional response during a pandemic and it’s why most people have complied with lockdown conditions. But as anxiety eases and boredom sets in, people’s resolution may fray.
How do people respond to media coverage of weather influenced by climate change?
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Media reports are starting to directly connect climate change to its weather effects in local communities. But how you respond to those linkages depends on what you already think about climate change.
A new statistical test lets scientists figure out if two groups are similar to one another.
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Evangeline Rose, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Kevin Omland, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Thomas Mathew, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A new statistical test lets researchers search for similarities between groups. Could this help keep new important findings out of the file drawer?
When people know it’s a full moon, they tend to use it to explain all sorts of human behaviour.
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The ‘illumination hypothesis’ – suggests that criminals like enough light to ply their trade, but not so much as to increase their chance of apprehension.
Our predictive skills are about as reliable as a crystal ball.
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