Exploration of the Effectiveness of Logic-Focused Strategies that Debunk Correlation-Causation Fallacy in Combating COVID-19 Vaccine-Cancer Misinformation

This study examines the effectiveness of logic-focused messages that debunk correlation-causation fallacies in COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, testing two conditions-one with and one without a modus tollens argument-against a fact-focused strategy emphasizing medical study findings. A single-factor, between-subjects experiment with 377 participants showed that the logic-focused condition without a modus tollens argument was more effective than the fact-focused approach at reducing both the perceived credibility of misinformation and misperception through perceived argument quality. Correction-source credibility moderated the link between perceived argument quality and misperception reduction, such that lower trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strengthened the effect. The study contributes to the elaboration likelihood model and heuristic-systematic model, showing that logic-focused corrections promote central processing via stronger perceived argument quality, while source trust influences the effectiveness of that processing. Practically, the findings highlight the value of logic-focused vaccine messaging, particularly for audiences with low CDC trust.