Often, consumers inadvertently give too much credit to products ’ ‘scientifically studied’ claims

Key takeawaysA new study finds that consumers often misremember if a product is labeled “scientifically studied” or “scientifically proven” — despite the significant difference in meaning between the two phrases.UCLA psychologists conducted an experiment with one group of college students and another group of older adults to determine whether they would accurately recall which claim was made in an advertisement for a dietary supplement.  Only 26% of subjects correctly remembered which phrase was used, and the percentage who recalled the information accurately was roughly the same among both groups.Beingscientifically studied and beingscientifically provenare two completely different things.But a study led by UCLA psychologists has found that consumers often incorrectly remember marketing claims about just how lab-tested — or -proven — products actually are. The research discovered that even when products are labeled “clinically studied,” people frequently recall them as being “clinically proven.”“‘Clinically studied’ can mean lots of things,” said Alan Castel, the paper’s senior author and a UCLA psychology professor. “Maybe the product was studied only in animals, or in people but found to be ineffective or not effective enough. ‘Clinically studied’ only shows that someone was interested enough in the product to study it, not that the study was well designed or showed conclusively that the supplement works.”The findings,published in...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news