This paper reports on an exploratory study among adolescents (N = 752) who were introduced to the emerging technology of ecogenomics for the first time. An online survey focused on their associations with the term ecogenomics, their planned information seeking behaviors if they were to acquire information about the new technology, and their first affective responses toward ecogenomics after having read some introductory information about it. Adolescents were found to associate ecogenomics most frequently with economy. Although the Internet was the most popular medium to be used in their planned information seeking behaviors, books and science communication professionals were judged as the most trustworthy information sources. After having read the introductory information about ecogenomics most adolescents reported positive affective responses toward the new technology.
Earlier investigations showed that many academics obtain information pertaining their own field of science from the general massmedia, such as newspapers. Who are those scientists? Is there a relation between the social engagement and the use of non-specialist information sources? We investigated the social engagement of biologists and engineers in correlation to their use of general massmedia in the Netherlands. Biologists find their work social significant, most of engineers do not. Many biologists are members of non-specialist organizations, subscribe to non-specialist journals about science and participate in non-scietific activities related to their work. Most engineers do not. Many members of both groups (biologists and engineers) use non-specialist informations sources like general science magazines and national newspapers to obtain information about their own field of science. And most biologists and engineers did so to obtaqn information about new developments in their own field and in related fields. We did not find any correlation between the social engagement of scientists and their use of non-specialist information sources. Most scientists use them.
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