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Blinded by non-science: Trivial scientific information increases trust in products

Date:
October 17, 2014
Source:
Cornell University
Summary:
Beware of trivial graphs and formulas, warns new research. The study found trivial graphs or formulas accompanying medical information can lead consumers to believe products are more effective.
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Beware of trivial graphs and formulas, warns new research from Cornell University.

Published this week in Public Understanding of Science, the Cornell Food and Brand Lab study found trivial graphs or formulas accompanying medical information can lead consumers to believe products are more effective.

"Your faith in science may actually make you more likely to trust information that appears scientific but really doesn't tell you much," said lead author Aner Tal, post-doctoral researcher at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. "Anything that looks scientific can make information you read a lot more convincing."

The study showed that when a graph -- with no new information -- was added to the description of a medication, 96.6 percent of people believed that the medicines were effective in reducing illness verses 67.7 percent of people who were shown the product information without the graph.

"Even those with professed faith in science were more likely to be swayed by trivial scientific looking product information," said Tal. "In fact, the more people believed in science, the more they were convinced by the graphs. What this means is that when you read claims about new products, whether it's a medication or a new technology, you should ask yourself, 'where does this information come from?', 'what's the basis for the claims being made?' Don't let things that look scientific but don't really tell you much fool you. Sometimes a graph is just a graph!"


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Materials provided by Cornell University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. A. Tal, B. Wansink. Blinded with science: Trivial graphs and formulas increase ad persuasiveness and belief in product efficacy. Public Understanding of Science, 2014; DOI: 10.1177/0963662514549688

Cite This Page:

Cornell University. "Blinded by non-science: Trivial scientific information increases trust in products." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141017101224.htm>.
Cornell University. (2014, October 17). Blinded by non-science: Trivial scientific information increases trust in products. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141017101224.htm
Cornell University. "Blinded by non-science: Trivial scientific information increases trust in products." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141017101224.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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