On today's episode, we switch gears a bit to focus on the concept of motivated reasoning. It is a powerful influence in the way we search for and evaluate information.  We hope you enjoy! As always we would love to hear from you at [email protected]. Some resources about topics mentioned in the podcast:

A review of motivated reasoning in politics:
Kraft, P. W., Lodge, M., & Taber, C. S. (2015). Why people “don’t trust the evidence” motivated reasoning and scientific beliefs. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 658(1), 121-133.

An article about the telescope:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-04-02-9704020119-story.html

In today's episode, we wrap up our conversation on what we affectionately call the "mask meme".  We focus on social identity and separating out the right health-related decision from the right policy-related decision. We hope you enjoy!

On today's episode, we continue to explore a masking related meme that has been passed around via social media.  Our focus is on evidence quality, looking at the entire body of evidence, and the current evidence about masking and social distancing.  We hope you enjoy! Below are links to some of the articles and studies referenced in the episode:

Lancet Review of Evidence on Masking and Social Distancing:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext

Nature Review of Evidence on Masking:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02801-8

PNAS Review of Evidence on Masking:
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/4/e2014564118

JAMA Review Article on Mask Wearing:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536

Case Study of Hair Stylists using Masking:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6928e2.htm

Kansas Study on Mask Mandates:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm

Recent CDC Study on Mask Mandates (Recent Headline Creator):
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm?s_cid=mm7010e3_w#contribAff

NPR Article Discussing Recent Finding on 3 vs. 6 Feet in Schools:
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/15/977564878/cdc-looks-at-whether-3-feet-instead-of-6-is-safe-for-schools-social-distancing

Two Sources of Ongoing Information You May Want to Consider:
https://www.facebook.com/friendlyneighborepidemiologist/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100053149454347

"To mask or not to mask", has been a hot topic of conversation over the past year. On today's episode, Rob highlights a meme that has gotten a lot of shares and we use it as a springboard to discuss some of the important analytic and psychological concepts underpinning the discussions about masking.  

In today's episode we introduce the concept of anamythics and talk a little bit about the reasons we created the podcast.  Welcome to our new show!