Fixing the Communications Failure

These questions address the topics discussed in D. Kahan's Fixing the Communications Failure article.

• What is cultural cognition?
• Cultural cognition is the term for influence of an individual’s or group’s values on risk perception. For example, a person’s perception may be swayed in their favor regardless of validity. Image two people watching their favorite teams in an important game. Each might “see” more violations being done to their group/by their opposing group, even though they are watching the same game.
• How does protective cognition manifest itself in the context of climate change science?
• In regards to climate change, cultural cognition and protective cognition can cause people to manipulate information in support of their own previous beliefs as well as altogether dismiss ideas because they would hinder or negatively affect something that they enjoy. People put up blocks to what they don’t want to hear, and weigh information that supports their ideas more heavily.
• Explain the two specific techniques suggested for improving scientific communication.
• Two methods of improving scientific communication are to present information that affirms beliefs rather than threaten them, and to present that, correct, information in a variety of ways from a diverse set of experts. This means that information should be presented by experts from all fields, so that people can relate and trust them, as well as see that there are many people who are all on the same page. The information they present should be presented in a way that people can have relevancy too and in a way that people do not feel threatened. When people’s ways of life are threatened they reject those notions, but if they feel that the information can enhance or fit into their current ways/beliefs they are more likely to accept it.
• What, unfortunately, is the reality of most scientific communication.
• What usually has and does happen is that when information is given, it is given in full force out to the public. This means that regardless of validity, it has the potential to go against someones current views, hinder their current ways, and people will reject the information.