What are the five psychological challenges that cause scientific distrust?
With the new coronavirus epidemic, more and more people are chanting unscientific content with conspiracy theories. Professor Emeritus Barbara K. Hofer of the Faculty of Psychology at Middlebury College and Professor Gale Sinatra of the Faculty of Educational Psychology at the University of Southern California explain five psychological challenges for those who tend to deny scientific facts.
Science denial: Why it happens and 5 things you can do about it
◆ 1: Social identity
People are social beings and tend to build communities with people who share similar ideas and values. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook are said to have the function of amplifying the relationships of such communities. When members of the same community share incorrect information on social media, they are more likely to believe and share it. As a result, false information grows on the TL and tends to deny science.
Professor Emeritus Hofer and Professor Sinatra argue that it is effective to listen to the concerns of others and try to find something in common. If one community denies acceptance of science, it says it should take advantage of its connections with other communities.
◆ 2: Mental shortcut
When you see an article that has a click desire that 'genetically modified crops are unhealthy', people tend to share the article without reading it carefully. Avoiding such 'detours' that are carefully examined and pondered, and choosing 'mental shortcuts' that allow you to think quickly and intuitively can lead to abandonment of your scientific stance. There is.
◆ 3: What and how you know
People vary in what knowledge is, where it comes from, and who to trust. Some people think with the dualism of 'right or wrong'.
However, as research progresses in the scientific world, more evidence is discovered, so knowledge is constantly updated and scientific claims change. Taking the case of coronavirus infection, public health policies have changed as research progressed, but some may be distrustful of this. It is common sense in science that common sense changes as research progresses, but some people who see it become biased by believing that science is uncertain. There may be.
Professor Emeritus Hofer and Professor Sinatra said, 'Recognize that others, or yourself, may be dealing with science in the wrong way.' In the world of science, it is also important to have an attitude of modifying and changing one's way of thinking when new evidence is found.
◆ 4: Reasoning with conclusions
People unknowingly bias their data and develop logic to reach conclusions that are convenient for them, which can result in inference inference.
When any reasoning is given, the rationale should be checked. Also, when both positive and negative information is shown, the source of the information should be evaluated firmly. Professor Emeritus Hofer and Professor Sinatra said, 'If you have the time to think and reason for yourself, you can abandon conclusive reasoning and accept new information.'
◆ 5: Emotions and attitudes
When scientists argued that 'humans are the cause of climate change,' some people were angry with 'unbelievable', complained that they had to change their lifestyles, and 'what happened.' Many people expressed anxiety and despair, saying, 'I admit that I am, but it is too late to resolve.' Attitudes toward one topic are inevitably directly linked to emotions.
Professor Emeritus Hofer and Professor Sinatra said, 'Emotions should not and cannot be placed in a separate box from scientific thinking,' saying that scientific thinking and emotion are inevitably a set. I am. 'Rather, it is important to recognize and understand that emotions are a fully integrated way of thinking and learning about science, but that one's attitude towards the subject of science is linked to emotions. If you can identify yourself, you should also have time to think and infer separately from your emotions. '
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