Missverständnisse über die Auswirkungen der mRNA-Impfung haben zu einer Studie darüber geführt, wie unbegründete Ängste vor der mRNA-Impfung bekämpft werden können. Der Ansatz des „mentalen Modells“ verspricht, die Anfälligkeit für falsche Vorstellungen über die mRNA-Impfung zu verringern.

I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2517067122

From the linked article:

**‘Mental Model’ Approach Shows Promise in Reducing Susceptibility to Misconceptions About mRNA Vaccination**

PNAS study suggests path **to combating unfounded mRNA vaccine fears**

Correcting misinformation after it has gone viral is a common way of informing the public that what they’ve encountered may be inaccurate, lack context, be unproven, or be demonstrably false. But repeating a misconception when refuting it carries the risk of spreading it to a larger audience, especially because the people who read a fact-checking report may not be the same ones who were originally exposed to the worrisome information.

To overcome these challenges, researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania tested the effectiveness of a “mental model” approach to presenting scientific information. Such an approach entails exposing people to visual, verbal, or animated models to teach them scientific or medical concepts so that they either have the tools in place to identify misconceptions before encountering them or can use the model, once they learn it, to override existing misconceptions.

APPC researchers found that using a mental model approach to inform people about relevant facets of science undercuts the effect of exposure to misconceptions, regardless of whether the models were presented before or after the misinformation.

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers led by APPC Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson tested two mental model-based interventions to counter unwarranted fears about messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, the life-saving innovation that revolutionized Covid-19 vaccine creation. It is being used to develop vaccines against potentially deadly health risks including melanoma, pancreatic cancer, flu virus, respiratory syncytial virus, bird flu, HIV, dengue virus, and Lyme disease.

**Misconceptions about the effects of mRNA vaccination**

Messenger RNA technology has come under attack from critics who allege that vaccines created with it may change a recipient’s DNA. These critics claim that stray DNA left over from the vaccine manufacturing process could integrate into a recipient’s own DNA and thus increase the risk of cancer and heritable effects. Such fears have been raised by Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, among others, who has discouraged the use of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines in his state. These unwarranted fears led Tennessee legislators to expand the state’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act’s definition of “drug” to include “food that contains a vaccine or vaccine material.” They also influenced a Minnesota bill that would designate “mRNA injections and products as weapons of mass destruction” and prohibit “mRNA injections and products.”

Experts such as Peter Marks, former director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, say it is implausible that residual DNA fragments will find their way into cell nuclei and be incorporated into chromosomal DNA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “COVID-19 vaccines do not affect or interact with our DNA. These vaccines do not enter the nucleus of the cell where our DNA (genetic material) is located, so they cannot change or influence our genes.”

How is it even possible to be a misconseption? Don’t people have biology in school?