Journal Article

A scientific theory of gist communication and misinformation resistance, with implications for health, education, and policy

Reyna, Valerie F.

2021

Overview

A framework is presented for understanding how misinformation shapes decision-making, which has cognitive representations of gist at its core. I discuss how the framework goes beyond prior work, and how it can be implemented so that valid scientific messages are more likely to be effective, remembered, and shared through social media, while misinformation is resisted. The distinction between mental representations of the rote facts of a message—its verbatim representation—and its gist explains several paradoxes, including the frequent disconnect between knowing facts and, yet, making decisions that seem contrary to those facts. Decision makers can falsely remember the gist as seen or heard even when they remember verbatim facts. Indeed, misinformation can be more compelling than information when it provides an interpretation of reality that makes better sense than the facts. Consequently, for many issues, scientific information and misinformation are in a battle for the gist. A fuzzy-processing preference for simple gist explains expectations for antibiotics, the spread of misinformation about vaccination, and responses to messages about global warming, nuclear proliferation, and natural disasters. The gist, which reflects knowledge and experience, induces emotions and brings to mind social values. However, changing mental representations is not sufficient by itself; gist representations must be connected to values. The policy choice is not simply between constraining behavior or persuasion—there is another option. Science communication needs to shift from an emphasis on disseminating rote facts to achieving insight, retaining its integrity but without shying away from emotions and values.

• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• Subject: Antibiotics / Arthur M. Sackler on Advancing the Science and Practice of Science Communication: Misinformation about Science in the Public Sphere / Climate change / cognition / Cognitive ability / COLLOQUIUM PAPERS / communication (human) / Concept Formation / Decision making / Digital media / education / Emotions / False information / Global warming / Health Communication - methods / Health Communication - standards / Health Education - methods / Health Policy / Humans / issues and policy / Messages / misinformation / Natural disasters / Psychological and Cognitive Sciences / Representations / Social Sciences / Social values / Vaccination