by: adam weseloh
The question then becomes with no evidence and even contradictory evidence, why do people still insist on not vaccinating their children? Why do some continue to promote the link between autism and vaccines? We have all have met the person who believes in the link and promotes the link between the two. It was certainly an interesting explanation for the condition when it first came out, because we did not and still do not know what causes autism. My own mother who is a nurse has often hypothesized about the link. With no evidence, why do these views persist? Another question to answer is about where/how they have developed their attitude and addressing way in which they address people who have that view in attempt to change their view.
There has been a debate about whether using shame would be an effective method of convincing people to get their child vaccinated and that vaccines don’t cause autism. Novak (2015), gives the example of how a person infiltrated the KKK, found out their odd rituals and shamed them for it. According to the blog, recruitment then suffered. They believe the same shaming technique could applied to anti-vaxxers. Another believes that shaming people will not work (Singal, 2015). Robert Cialdini (2012) gives six different ways in which to persuade someone into coming over to your side of an argument. These constructs of social influence include authority, reciprocity, scarcity, consistency, liking, and social proof. While not of these constructs could be applied neatly when trying to convince someone that there is no link between autism and vaccines, some could be helpful in changing their attitudes.
Authority could be seen as a way to persuade someone to come over to your side of the argument. One study found people were more likely to give their change to a person looking for money who was in uniform rather than someone who was dressed casually (Cialdini, 2012). Scientists have often focused on weight of evidence when thinking about who the information is coming from (Clark, McKeever, Holton, & Dixon, 2015). This is particularly important for the anti-vaccine movement. It is important to look the person in which the information is coming from. If it is coming someone respected people are more likely to go along with their opinion. This becomes a problem when famous people say they do believe in the link between autism and vaccines. This person may not know anything about science, but their opinion which may not make them a scientist has a major impact on the general population. The first step to address this problem would be for someone who has the ability to influence people’s opinion to come out in strong support of the fact that there is no link. This should be someone with a medical background and someone who has read the research and is able to speak to an audience.
Liking is another principal to be used in order to help change someone’s attitude about the link between autism and vaccines. If someone who is similar to us, looks like us, and someone who is nice to us attempts to change our attitude we are more likely to go along with them. In the attempt to change someone’s attitude about the link between autism and vaccines it would be beneficial to have someone with a similar appearance to the anti-vaxxer. This person should also be someone who can complement and be respectful towards the anti-vaxxer and also be someone who would normally agree with them on different viewpoints.
Work Cited
- Cialdini, R. (2012). Classics on Persuasian.
- Clark, C. E., McKeever, B. W., Holton, A., & Dixon, G. (2015). The influence of weight evidence messages on (vaccine) attitudes: a sequential mediation model. Journal of Health and Communication, 1-8.
- Novak, M. (2015). The anti-vaccine movement should be rediculed because shame works. Retrieved from Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/the-anti-vaccine-movement-should-be-ridiculed-because-1683258152
- Rimland, B., & McGinnis, W. (2002). Vaccines and Autism. Immunology Generalist, 709-717.
- Singal, J. (2015). Why shaming anti-vaxxers won't work. Retrieved from nymag: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/02/why-shaming-anti-vaxxers-wont-work.html