Correcting misperceptions about contested topics through science communication

Abstract

The public does not agree about the facts surrounding a number of formidable challenges that the world is facing. Science communication plays an important role in informing people about the facts related to such important societal topics, but it is not always effective. The aim of the work discussed in this paper is to investigate how people stick to false beliefs in the face of corrective information and how science communication can improve to help people come to scientifically accurate beliefs. The research reviewed here demonstrates that people can sometimes stick to misperceptions when faced with corrective information because they are motivated to do so. Second, the findings show both meta-analytically and experimentally that science communication can improve by leveraging the informational and heuristic value of scientific consensus. Although many questions remain, helping people identify and understand scientific consensus can help reduce misperceptions even further than only communicating the consensus itself.