Misinformation credibility positively predicted HPV misperceptions, while correction credibility negatively predicted HPV misperceptions. The non-humorous correction received higher ratings of credibility than the humorous condition, but neither correction was more effective in reducing the credibility assessment of the misinformation tweet.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A Twitter interaction exhibiting a logic-based correction to the harmfulness of the HPV vaccine was presented with two conditions: One used a humorous image, while the other used a non-humorous—but equally informative—image.

Effect of Humorous Observational Correction on HPV Vaccine Misinformation

Kim, S. C., Vraga, E. K., & Cook, J. (2021). An Eye Tracking Approach to Understanding Misinformation and Correction Strategies on Social Media: The Mediating Role of Attention and Credibility to Reduce HPV Vaccine Misperceptions. Health communication, 36(13), 1687–1696. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1787933

An Eye Tracking Approach to Understanding
Misinformation and Correction Strategies on
Social Media: The Mediating Role of Attention and
Credibility to Reduce HPV Vaccine Misperceptions


Results of the study showed a negative relationship between attention to the correction image and misinformation credibility. The humorous condition garnered a significantly larger amount of attention to the misinformation text and the correctional image, compared to the non-humorous condition.

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