Vaccines, Skepticism, Evidence, the Group Mind, and Cognitive Dissonance

I was listening to this on NPR earlier this week and it immediately struck me as a psychological story.  It's important to listen to the woman being interviewed. She describes why she was a "crunchy" mom, one who surrounded herself with like-minded others she met online who shared and confirmed fears about vaccinations and autism.

When she did not vaccinate and her daughter developed autism anyway, she had to reevaluate her stance.  This is her story.  It could be a great tool to examine evidence, the use of skepticism, how groups influence us, confirmation bias, and cognitive dissonance and its reduction.

The photo is of the woman and her children and was posted with the article on npr.org.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/04/383567862/once-a-vaccine-skeptic-this-mom-changed-her-mind


posted by Chuck Schallhorn