AI Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an "infodemic," filled with false information, primarily spread through social media.
- Researchers highlight the harmful impacts of this misinformation on public health behaviors, which can hinder the adoption of protective measures.
- The article suggests using behavioral science methods, like psychological inoculation, to equip individuals with the tools to resist and combat misleading information effectively.
Article Abstract
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been accompanied by a large amount of misleading and false information about the virus, especially on social media. In this article, we explore the coronavirus "infodemic" and how behavioral scientists may seek to address this problem. We detail the scope of the problem and discuss the negative influence that COVID-19 misinformation can have on the widespread adoption of health protective behaviors in the population. In response, we explore how insights from the behavioral sciences can be leveraged to manage an effective societal response to curb the spread of misinformation about the virus. In particular, we discuss the theory of psychological inoculation (or ) as an efficient vehicle for conferring large-scale psychological resistance against fake news.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7644779 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566790 | DOI Listing |
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