An Experimental Test of Misconception Corrections Across Health Domains

The endorsement of misconceptions is prevalent in a variety of domains, including several health domains (e.g., vaccinations, mental health), and may lead to harmful consequences. This study examined the effects of myth debunking posters formatted to co-activate misconceptions and factual information across several health domains versus only presenting factual evidence to dispel these misconceptions. Accuracy of knowledge about the health domains was tested in two ways: immediately after participants viewed the posters or after a 30-minute delay. Using an experimental design, 218 participants completed one of six conditions: (a) myths and facts-immediate, (b) facts only-immediate, (c) control-immediate, (d) myths and facts-delay, (e) facts only-delay, and (f) control-delay. Knowledge was more accurate for participants in the experimental conditions than participants in the control conditions. These data suggest that the format used to correct misinformation may be less important than the act of refuting.