Incorporating Psychological Science Into Policy 					Making

Kozyreva, Anastasia; Smillie, Laura; Lewandowsky, Stephan

doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000493

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 87 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…Importantly, the cognitive and behavioural sciences have already contributed to EU regulations (Kozyreva, Smillie, et al, 2023) by, for instance, designing and testing interventions, informing the design of regulations, and revealing and documenting people's preferences (e.g., for content moderation).…”

Section: Misinformation and Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dodging the autocratic bullet: Enlisting behavioural science to arrest democratic backsliding

Abels,

Huttunen,

Lewandowsky

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Despite a long history of research on democratic backsliding, the process itself---in which the executive branch amasses power and undermines democratic processes and institutions---remains poorly understood. We seek to shed light on the underlying mechanisms by studying democratic near misses: cases in which a period of autocratic governance is quickly reversed or full backsliding is prevented at the last minute. Building on the literature on near misses in socio-technical systems such as nuclear power plants, we adapt the drift-to-danger model to the study of democratic systems. Two key findings emerge: First, democratic backsliding is triggered by political elites pushing the boundaries of their power by violating norms, which are crucial yet vulnerable safeguards for democracy. Second, democratic backsliding is unpredictable and non-linear, being driven by the interaction between political elites and the public. Norm-violating elites may feel legitimised by a supportive public that sees norm violations as justified. At the same time, political elites may signal that norm-violating behaviour is acceptable, potentially leading the public to adopt anti-democratic beliefs and behaviours. We identify risk factors that make norm violations more likely and offer behavioural sciences-based interventions to address these violations.

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Section: Misinformation and Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dodging the autocratic bullet: Enlisting behavioural science to arrest democratic backsliding

Abels,

Huttunen,

Lewandowsky

et al. 2024

Preprint

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show abstract

“…Behaviors driven or justified in part by misinformation, such as vaccination refusal, can not only detrimentally impact an individual (e.g., increasing the risk of contracting potentially life-threatening illnesses), but also others (e.g., increasing the potential spread of viruses to vulnerable populations) and society more broadly (e.g., placing increased pressure on the health-care system [2][3][4] ). Due to the threats posed by misinformation, developing and implementing interventions that reduce people's susceptibility to misinformation has become a key focus of both research and policy 1,5,6 .…”

Section: Nudge-based Misinformation Interventions Are Effective In In...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are effective in information environments with low misinformation prevalence

Butler,

Prike,

Ecker

2024

Sci Rep

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Nudge-based misinformation interventions are presented as cheap and effective ways to reduce the spread of misinformation online. However, despite online information environments typically containing relatively low volumes of misinformation, most studies testing the effectiveness of nudge interventions present equal proportions of true and false information. As the effectiveness of nudges can be highly context-dependent, it is imperative to validate the effectiveness of nudge-based interventions in environments with more realistic proportions of misinformation. The current study (N = 1387) assessed the effectiveness of a combined accuracy and social-norm nudge in simulated social-media environments with varying proportions of misinformation (50%, 20%, and 12.5%) relative to true and non-news-based (i.e., “social”) information. The nudge intervention was effective at improving sharing discernment in conditions with lower proportions of misinformation, providing ecologically valid support for the use of nudge-based interventions to counter misinformation propagation on social media.

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“…For example, science denial can pose a risk for the individual who denies (e.g., vaccination refusal) or society and/or the global community (e.g., climate change denial). In some cases, there may not be risks related to the topic in question, but controversies nevertheless risk interfering with individuals’ goals to draw correct conclusions and causing polarization and antagonism in society, thereby causing serious challenges for democracy, societal institutions, and people’s best interests (see also, review by Kozyreva et al, in press). However, it is difficult to persuade the small cohort heavily invested in denying a scientific issue.…”

Section: Looking Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science Denial

Jylhä

Stanley

Ojala

et al. 2023

European Psychologist

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Abstract. Science denial has adverse consequences at individual and societal levels and even for the future of our planet. The present article aimed to answer the question: What leads people to deny even the strongest evidence and distrust the scientific method? The article provides a narrative review of research on the underpinnings of science denial, with the main focus on climate change denial. Perspectives that are commonly studied separately are integrated. We review key findings on the roles of disinformation and basic cognitive processes, motivated reasoning (focusing on ideology and populism), and emotion regulation in potentially shaping (or not shaping) views on science and scientific topics. We also include research on youth, a group in an important transition phase in life that is the future decision-makers but less commonly focused on in the research field. In sum, we describe how the manifestations of denial can stem from cognitive biases, motivating efforts to find seemingly rational support for desirable conclusions, or attempts to regulate emotions when feeling threatened or powerless. To foster future research agendas and mindful applications of the results, we identify some research gaps (most importantly related to cross-cultural considerations) and examine the unique features or science denial as an object of psychological research. Based on the review, we make recommendations on measurement, science communication, and education.

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Incorporating Psychological Science Into Policy Making

Cited by 8 publications

References 87 publications

Dodging the autocratic bullet: Enlisting behavioural science to arrest democratic backsliding

Dodging the autocratic bullet: Enlisting behavioural science to arrest democratic backsliding

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are effective in information environments with low misinformation prevalence

Science Denial

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