In the contemporary media environment individuals often encounter myths, falsehoods, rumors, reporting errors, and conspiracy theories deliberately or inadvertently circulated by the media, governments, and other interest groups. These types of dis/misinformation pose a substantial challenge, and, in some cases, can result in physical harm, or even death. To this end, massive efforts are devoted to debunk misinformation; yet, scientific evidence of the effectiveness of these measures appear to be inconsistent. While some studies have found that corrective information can successfully debunk falsehoods, other studies suggest that individuals may struggle to discount misinformation, and, in some cases, correction attempts can even backfire by increasing support for the discredited position. Dr. Walter will present findings from his ongoing work on the continued influence of misinformation and the ability of nonpartisan fact-checkers to challenge the veracity of false information. The talk will also explore various psychological mechanisms that underlie these effects and provide specific recommendations for more effective correction efforts.

This talk is a Translational Applications in Public Health lecture, which is held in partnership between IPHAM and the NUCATS Institute.