Having the tools to spot misinformation could help adolescents make sense of science in the news

Written by Wendy Lombard

In an era when health information is constantly circulating through news outlets, social media and everyday conversations, the ability to evaluate scientific claims has never been more important.

Adolescents are increasingly asked to make sense of messages about nutrition, exercise, vaping, and other health topics, often before they have the tools to distinguish credible evidence from misleading or inaccurate claims.

Strong scientific reasoning skills can help students ask better questions, weigh evidence, recognize flawed arguments, and make informed health decisions to support their well being both now and into adulthood.

Madison Fansher, Ph.D., a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, Center for Clinical Outcomes Development and Application, is collaborating with Audrey L. Michal, Ph.D., U-M Flint Assistant Professor of Psychology, and Priti Shah, Ph.D., U-M Psychology Department Chair and Professor, to develop and test an educational intervention to teach scientific reasoning skills to adolescents.

“The goal of this curriculum is to help students spot false or misleading scientific claims presented in news and media stories that can negatively impact their health decision-making,” explained Fansher.

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“Such decisions – including those related to nutrition, exercise, and vaccines – are important not only for staying healthy now, but also for promoting health in their adult lives.”

Some of the topics covered include study generalizability, recognizing biased sources or reporting, and the difference between causation and correlation.

With funding from the Alliance for Decision Education Research, the team is studying whether their scientific reasoning curriculum is effective in teaching high school students in grades 9-12 how to: