Are some physicians afraid of the COVID-19 vaccines? A tale of motivated reasoning

Abstract

Are some physicians afraid of the COVID-19 vaccines? A tale of motivated reasoning.

How a few poorly designed COVID-19 studies may have contributed to misinformation in Brazil: the case for evidence-based communication of science

“… 49 Empirical research and the best evidence-based practices in science communication could perhaps foster scientific literacy through the common ground of a shared sense of self, which would in the long run help turn the tide of science denial. 16 45 49 That is yet to be empirically verified as well, but it is very much aligned to the scientific ethos and fits the theoretical framework presented herein. 43 44…”

“…That is particularly relevant because media studies have also been demonstrating framing to not yield strong lasting results in the public due to many other cognition processes related to self-perception, perception of others and expectation to belong to preferred groups and identities. 16 49 52 54–64 …”

“…That happens possibly because to our ancestors being isolated from the peers, that is, their group, would have been a tangible existential threat. 16 45 49 64 In other words, a shared sense of self is essential to cognition and behaviour, both being highly social processes in our species. 45 …”

“…2 However, more efficiency in scientific publication did manifest in accelerated publication, [6][7][8] journals tearing down their paywalls for their COVID-19 output, 14 an increased usage of life and medical sciences preprint servers to increase speed and transparency, 15 not to mention the intense international collaboration that resulted in the development of multiple high-efficacy vaccines within the first year of the pandemic. 16 On the other hand, some pratices that reduce the reliability of clinical trials may have gained some traction during 2020, such as executing underpowered studies with small samples, multiplicity of trials testing ideas with low prior probability of being true, forgoing blinding to test interventions 10 11 14 17-20 and incomplete reporting of findings, which was already an issue before the pandemic. 12 21 To what extent that has dominated the general output in medical interventions for COVID-19 and how much of it turned into actual clinical pratice is something that has not yet been thoroughly assessed and is, thus, still open for debate.…”

“… 2 However, more efficiency in scientific publication did manifest in accelerated publication, 6–8 journals tearing down their paywalls for their COVID-19 output, 14 an increased usage of life and medical sciences preprint servers to increase speed and transparency, 15 not to mention the intense international collaboration that resulted in the development of multiple high-efficacy vaccines within the first year of the pandemic. 16 …”