Can narrative help people engage with and understand information without being persuasive? An empirical study.

Stories have been shown to be engaging and aid the comprehension and retention of information. However, the persuasive power of storytelling is well-recognized. Is this an inherent property? Can a narrative be constructed that helps people engage with information but does not persuade them? We presented participants (= 1309) with information about a fictional new drug and asked them whether they would license it on the basis of this.

COVID-19 risk perception and hoax beliefs in the US immediately before and after the announcement of President Trump's diagnosis.

A notable challenge of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been public scepticism over the severity of the disease, or even its existence. Such scepticism is politically skewed in the USA, with conservatives more likely to downplay or deny the risks of the virus. However, the hospitalization of President Trump with COVID-19 in October 2020 served as a high-profile exemplar of the reality and risks of the virus, and as such may have influenced opinions, particularly for US conservatives.