Science Communication and the Rationality of Public Opinion Formation

Sápp, Stephen G.; Korsching, Peter F.; Arnot, Charlie; Wilson, Jannette J.H.

doi:10.1177/1075547013480491

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In a society where virtually every aspect of our lives is in some way based on science and technology, it is very important for the public to understand the findings and achievements of scientific research (Sapp et al, 2013;Sinatra et al, 2014). In addition, research institutions are subject to increasing scrutiny regarding their use of public funding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotionalization in Science Communication: The Impact of Narratives and Visual Representations on Knowledge Gain and Risk Perception

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The communication of scientific information plays an increasingly important role for scientists and scientific institutions. This is especially true of institutions in the field of biodiversity and conservation research, since the transfer of research results to the public is a prerequisite for decision-making, and the success of conservation measures often depends on public acceptance or active contribution. To have the desired impact, science communication in the context of human-wildlife interactions must enable recipients to (1) gain valid knowledge, (2) form an attitude toward the subject matter, and (3) develop an adequate understanding of the risks and dangers associated with human-wildlife interactions, which are usually overestimated by the general public. Using the topic of foxes in urban habitats, we investigated the role of emotionalization in science communication.In a laboratory experiment with 127 university students (91 females), we manipulated textual and visual features in an information brochure about foxes and examined their impact on people's knowledge gain, attitude development, and modified risk perception. In particular, we compared a narrative presentation to a non-narrative list of facts and examined the use of photographs of young foxes. We found a positive development in all of the outcome variables from the pre-to the posttest (more knowledge, more positive attitude, lower risk perception). We also found an interaction effect of text type and visualization on knowledge gain that highlighted the importance of the fit between text type and visualization. In contrast to our expectations, we did not find any differential effects of specific treatments on attitude development. Finally, we found a main effect of text type on modified risk perception, indicating less reduction of risk perception with a narrative article than with a fact list. We discuss our findings with respect to the role of emotionalization in science communication, stressing that it is particularly important to achieve a suitable fit between textual and visual forms of emotionalization, depending on the goal of communication. We also discuss possible explanations as to why some hypotheses were not supported by the data. In our concluding statements, we refer to limitations of the present study and address implications for future research.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotionalization in Science Communication: The Impact of Narratives and Visual Representations on Knowledge Gain and Risk Perception

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The article presents additional support for studies showing that public acceptance of agricultural science and technology may be based on consumers' values and their confidence in the experts and institutions providing the information, rather than the technology itself (Freudenburg 1993;Lang and Hallman 2005;Sapp et al 2013). Environmental groups generated public opposition to the fish by tapping into broader disapproval and mistrust of the biotech and aquaculture industries in general.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Frankenfish or Fish to Feed the World? Scientism and Biotechnology Regulatory Policy

Bruce

2016

Rural Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Scientism is an attempt to apply the methods and approach of the natural sciences to matters of human social and political concern. Scientism‐based discourse has been used to reframe the public debate about controversial science and technology into a risk assessment carried out by experts. The biotechnology industry has used a scientism‐based discourse to avoid regulation and labeling, claiming that the scientific makeup of their products is all that matters for governing regulatory policy, not their social, economic, or environmental impact. In this case study I examine the discourse used in support of and opposition to AquaAdvantage salmon, the first genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption. This case inspired an opposition coalition of consumer and environmental groups that led the FDA to organize a public meeting about its review of the fish. The analysis finds support for previous studies showing that regulatory debates over biotechnology in the United States are dominated by scientism, and that scientism generates public skepticism rather than confidence. In previous cases citizen groups were unable to challenge the authority of scientism‐based regulatory policy, but in this case the agency's decision not to require labeling was overruled by a congressional labeling mandate driven by citizen mobilization.

show abstract

“…However, our findings suggest that this vivid and tangible way of disseminating medical information leads to misperceptions in recipients (i.e., they mainly process and remember negative aspects of the treatment). An unbalanced knowledge formation resulting from unbalanced processing of medical information may lead to biased public opinion (e.g., Sapp et al, 2013). If public opinion is distorted so that that mainly negative aspects of DBS as medical treatment are salient in the community, this may lead politicians to decide not to promote research on and development of DBS, mainly because they fear not being (re)elected by potential voters who do not regard DBS as worthwhile investment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are you Concerned? Patient Testimonials in Medical Communication Affect Healthy Recipients' Emotions and Memory

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Medical communication and health care intervention programs often include testimonials (i.e., an account of individuals' experiences) when addressing health-related topics. Numerous findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of such testimonials on intentions for health behavior change. However, little is known about whether and how testimonials affect healthy lay people's reception of health information (e.g., in journalistic reports about medical innovations). The present studies tested whether using patients vs. doctors as testimonial protagonists in communication affects unconcerned recipients' affective experiences and their memory performance regarding text content. Two experiments (Prestudy: N = 43; Main Experiment: N = 97, university student samples) demonstrated that using patients as protagonists elicited stronger negative and weaker positive emotions in recipients than using doctors as protagonists. Results of one of the experiments further suggested that the affective experience influenced recipients' memory performance so that less positive and more negative DBS-related information was remembered when patients were protagonists, due to elicited negative emotions. The findings are discussed with regard to their implications for medical communication.

show abstract

Science Communication and the Rationality of Public Opinion Formation

Cited by 16 publications

References 36 publications

Emotionalization in Science Communication: The Impact of Narratives and Visual Representations on Knowledge Gain and Risk Perception

Emotionalization in Science Communication: The Impact of Narratives and Visual Representations on Knowledge Gain and Risk Perception

Frankenfish or Fish to Feed the World? Scientism and Biotechnology Regulatory Policy

Are you Concerned? Patient Testimonials in Medical Communication Affect Healthy Recipients' Emotions and Memory

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About