title: Countering antivaccination attitudes.
abstract: Three times as many cases of measles were reported in the United States in 2014 as in 2013. The reemergence of measles has been linked to a dangerous trend: parents refusing vaccinations for their children. Efforts have been made to counter people's antivaccination attitudes by providing scientific evidence refuting vaccination myths, but these interventions have proven ineffective. This study shows that highlighting factual information about the dangers of communicable diseases can positively impact people's attitudes to vaccination. This method outperformed alternative interventions aimed at undercutting vaccination myths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61802; horne2@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Horne
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61802;
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hummel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Holyoak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000517:prevention & control; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010465:Perception; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine
keywords: attitude change; belief revision; science education; vaccination