The researchers fabricated four false news stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic that contained information that might provoke readers to change their behavior. Greatly condensed, these news stories were: 
- Chili peppers contain chemicals that minimize the replication rate of COVID-19
- Leaked reports of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed that has resulted in many health complications.
- Drinking more than three cups of coffee a day is linked to experiencing less severe COVID-19 symptoms.
- The creators of a COVID-19 contact tracing app have been previously involved in scandals compromising users's data privacy, and their app would track users' movements.

Participants were exposed to six different news stories related to COVID-19. Prior to viewing, some participants were exposed to a misinformation warning, whereas others were not. All participants were exposed to the same four true news stories and then exposed to two of the four fabricated stories. After each story was shown, participants were asked if they recalled hearing about the information prior to the study. 
Lastly, participants were directly asked about their intentions to engage in, or not engage in, ten health-related behaviors. 

Overview of Greene & Murphy COVID-19 Misinformation Study

Along with the main objective of determining if there is a relationship between COVID-19 misinformation and change in participants' behavioral intention, other goals of the study included:
- Observing the role that experiencing false memories of fake news plays on behavioral intention, in comparison with individuals who did not report false memories.
-  Whether or not providing a general misinformation warning to participants prior to viewing the misinformation would impact likelihood to alter their behavior.

Saint Louis University

While it remains certain that consequences can arise from believing fake news, the extent to this remains unclear. Specifically, there is limited research on whether believing fake news can influence an individual's intentions to change their personal behavior. Researchers such as Greene & Murphy (2021) aim to breach this gap in scientific literature to determine if exposure to fake news related to the COVID-19 pandemic will impact participants' intentions to alter their behavior in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak. 

Effects of COVID-19 Related Fake News on Behavioral Intentions

Greene, C. M., & Murphy, G. (2021). Quantifying the Effects of Fake News on Behavior: Evidence From a Study of COVID-19 Misinformation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xap0000371

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