Public assumptions that drinking any alcohol during pregnancy is harmful for the child are the result of distorted communication of risk, rather than actual research, according to a University psychologist.
New research from Professor Robbie Sutton, of the School of Psychology, highlights what he describes as the ‘confirmation bias’ that influences the way scientists present findings on the effects of low to moderate drinking on child development.
Professor Sutton will tell a London conference entitled Policing Pregnancy: A one-day conference on maternal autonomy, risk and responsibility that the assumption that any drinking is harmful dominates perceptions, even where this is not indicated by evidence.
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