Professor Sol Hart is a professor of Public Communication. He received his B.S at UCD in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, his M.S. at OU in Environmental Studies, and a Ph.D. at Cornell in Communication. Now he works at AU and is a researcher. He has always been interested in environmental issues and after reading many newspapers and seeing stories on TV he looked for holes in their research and saw where he could fill in his own interest. A couple years before he had worked with Sahara Byrne on other “Boomerang Effect” research and has been interested in that ever since. All of this has lead to his recent research programs; “Boomerang Effects in Science Communication: How Motivated Reasoning and Identity Cues Amplify Opinion Polarization About Climate Mitigation Policies.”
In this research program gave 240 adults one of two stories about climate change and then surveyed them. The first story talked about climate change and the victims using a close location and social distance (upstate New York), the second used a far away location and high social distance (state of Georgia or the country France). They preformed a mall intercept in New York malls and paid each subject $5 to participate. This is a convenience sample so it was non-random. Then they had participants read either of the stories and surveyed them after. Their theory was the theory of motivated reasoning, social identity, and persuasion to “examine how science-based messages may increase public polarization on controversial science issues such as climate change.”
They found that if the person were a Democrat it wouldn’t matter if the subjects of harm were of a low or high social distance. But if the person identified as a Republican there was a big increase in support from someone of a high social distance (which was low in support) to low social distance (much higher in support).
Read the whole study here: http://www.climateaccess.org/resource/boomerang-effects-science-communication-how-motivated-reasoning-and-identity-cues-amplify-o
Widely known as someone who is full of life, humor and wisdom, Dr. Anthony Riley is a professor at American University, holding the chair for the psychology department. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, before obtaining his PhD in psychology from the University of Washington. His interests include examining models of drug use, interactions, behaviors, as well as factors of administration. It was his early involvement with drug toxicity and evolution that prompted his future studies.
Dr. Riley’s research consists of exploring the impacts of drug use and abuse; while examining the sex, age, history and genetic traits of the abusers. He also looks at the interactions of these subjects and how much their behavior is influenced by the rewarding aspects. What he finds interesting about this research is how people continue to use the drugs, even though some of the consequences are detrimental, and sometimes even, fatal to their health. When asked about his theory, he describes it as a model which deems drug use as a function of balance between two effects of drugs. If he can find that balance, then he can predict the likelihood of abuse. His methods consist of animal testing, administering the drugs for them, as well as allowing them to self-administer. He has found that if the animals choose to self-administer then they find the drug rewarding, but if there are aversive affects the animals will avoid the drug.
As Dr. Riley compares the animal research to humans, he notes that we tend to act similarly to them. For example, users who drink or self-administer cocaine will continue to do so, due to the rewarding effects. Those that do not gain any reward may try it once, or even a few times, but they do not become dependent upon the drugs. Unlike adults, the behaviors of adolescents are different. Teenagers do not show any aversive signs; they only react to the rewarding effects.
Professor Sol Hart is a professor of Public Communication. He received his B.S at UCD in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, his M.S. at OU in Environmental Studies, and a Ph.D. at Cornell in Communication. Now he works at AU and is a researcher. He has always been interested in environmental issues and after reading many newspapers and seeing stories on TV he looked for holes in their research and saw where he could fill in his own interest. A couple years before he had worked with Sahara Byrne on other “Boomerang Effect” research and has been interested in that ever since. All of this has lead to his recent research programs; “Boomerang Effects in Science Communication: How Motivated Reasoning and Identity Cues Amplify Opinion Polarization About Climate Mitigation Policies.”
ReplyDeleteIn this research program gave 240 adults one of two stories about climate change and then surveyed them. The first story talked about climate change and the victims using a close location and social distance (upstate New York), the second used a far away location and high social distance (state of Georgia or the country France). They preformed a mall intercept in New York malls and paid each subject $5 to participate. This is a convenience sample so it was non-random. Then they had participants read either of the stories and surveyed them after. Their theory was the theory of motivated reasoning, social identity, and persuasion to “examine how science-based messages may increase public polarization on controversial science issues such as climate change.”
They found that if the person were a Democrat it wouldn’t matter if the subjects of harm were of a low or high social distance. But if the person identified as a Republican there was a big increase in support from someone of a high social distance (which was low in support) to low social distance (much higher in support).
Read the whole study here: http://www.climateaccess.org/resource/boomerang-effects-science-communication-how-motivated-reasoning-and-identity-cues-amplify-o
Widely known as someone who is full of life, humor and wisdom, Dr. Anthony Riley is a professor at American University, holding the chair for the psychology department. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, before obtaining his PhD in psychology from the University of Washington. His interests include examining models of drug use, interactions, behaviors, as well as factors of administration. It was his early involvement with drug toxicity and evolution that prompted his future studies.
ReplyDeleteDr. Riley’s research consists of exploring the impacts of drug use and abuse; while examining the sex, age, history and genetic traits of the abusers. He also looks at the interactions of these subjects and how much their behavior is influenced by the rewarding aspects. What he finds interesting about this research is how people continue to use the drugs, even though some of the consequences are detrimental, and sometimes even, fatal to their health. When asked about his theory, he describes it as a model which deems drug use as a function of balance between two effects of drugs. If he can find that balance, then he can predict the likelihood of abuse. His methods consist of animal testing, administering the drugs for them, as well as allowing them to self-administer. He has found that if the animals choose to self-administer then they find the drug rewarding, but if there are aversive affects the animals will avoid the drug.
As Dr. Riley compares the animal research to humans, he notes that we tend to act similarly to them. For example, users who drink or self-administer cocaine will continue to do so, due to the rewarding effects. Those that do not gain any reward may try it once, or even a few times, but they do not become dependent upon the drugs. Unlike adults, the behaviors of adolescents are different. Teenagers do not show any aversive signs; they only react to the rewarding effects.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03212052#
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0091305791902779