Research Findings

An analysis in PNAS of how the media cover science considers whether scientific self-correction is contributing to a flawed narrative and inadvertently undermining public trust in science.

An analysis of Twitter posts during the Zika outbreak in 2016 shows a correlation between Twitter topics and the results of nationwide U.S. surveys, according to researchers at APPC and the University of Illinois.

Nearly two-thirds of the newspaper stories linking the holidays and suicide over the 2016-17 holiday season supported a false connection between the two, according to an analysis of media coverage.

Teenagers with weaknesses in certain processes that are part of executive functioning are at a greater risk of hazardous driving, a literature review from researchers at APPC and CHOP has found.

APPC research director Dan Romer discussed a recent article contending that a lot of seemingly risky teen behavior often attributed to an imbalance in brain development is actually part of normal development.

Detailed debunking messages are more effective than just labeling something as wrong, and debunking is more effective when an audience is engaged in helping to correct a message, according to a meta-analysis in Psychological Science.

Many Americans are poorly informed about basic constitutional provisions, according to APPC's Constitution Day Civics Survey. It finds that 37% can’t name any of the rights under the First Amendment and only 26% can name all three branches of government.

A popular theory in recent neuroscience proposes that slow development of the prefrontal cortex explains teenagers’ seemingly impulsive and risky behavior. An extensive literature review challenges that interpretation.

How can the public’s confidence in science be strengthened? A new study finding that public confidence in science spiked following coverage of the Zika vaccine trial in 2016 suggests a way to improve trust in science on a more sustained basis.

An experimental study of the effect of humor and video in fact-checking finds that both funny and non-humorous videos were more interesting and understandable than a comparable textual fact-checking story.