1,720,970 research outputs found
In science communication, why does the idea of the public deficit always return? Exploring key influences
No full textDespite mounting criticism, the deficit model remains an integral part of science communication research and practice. In this article, I advance three key factors that contribute to the idea of the public deficit in science communication, including the purpose of science communication, how communication processes and outcomes are conceptualized, and how science and scientific knowledge are defined. Affording science absolute epistemic privilege, I argue, is the most compelling factor contributing to the continued use of the deficit model. In addition, I contend that the deficit model plays a necessary, though not sufficient, role in science communication research and practice. Areas for future research are discussed
Communicating Who Knows What in Sustainability Science: Investigating the Role of Epistemology in Science Communication and Engagement
Get PDFThe complex socio-ecological problems we face today often require that researchers collaborate with individuals and organizations outside of their own disciplines and, oftentimes, outside of academia entirely. This sustainability science model encourages university researchers to engage in participatory models of engagement, where nonscientific publics and scientists working outside of academe are invited to co-produce knowledge and, through collaboration, arrive at solutions for sustainability. Despite the popularity of participatory models of engagement in sustainability science, very little research has examined sustainability science researchers’ perceptions of epistemic authority in conjunction with their engagement behavior. This kind of work is important given that the epistemic privileging of science can function as a significant barrier to the creation of meaningful solutions, particularly when it comes to persuading diverse groups of people to buy-in to one particular solution over another in complex sustainability-related contexts.
I combine science communication theory with the concepts of epistemic authority and expertise to explore stakeholder engagement within a large sustainability science research effort. In chapter one, I explore the potential underlying factors, including epistemic assumptions, that drive model use, specifically addressing the continued use of the diffusion model (i.e. public deficit) in science communication research and practice. In chapter two, I qualitatively explore the extent to which sustainability science researchers afford science epistemic authority and assess their use of different models of science communication within their stakeholder engagement efforts. The results of chapter two challenge the assumption that sustainability science creates an egalitarian epistemic environment and the presumed connection between sustainability science and participatory models of engagement. In chapter three, I quantitatively examine the relationship between NEST researchers’ perceptions of stakeholder expertise and their science communication behavior. Results of this chapter three indicate a positive relationship between how sustainability science researchers perceive the expertise level of their stakeholder partners and the manner in which they engage those partners. Taken together, this work adds to the growing body of literature in science communication that explores how different models of science communication emerge and demonstrates the value of studying the relationship between epistemic assumptions and science communication practice
Improving Patient-Provider Perceptions through Alternate Intake Forms
No full textThis study examines the effects of implementing alternative intake formats for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screenings in the LGBTQ+ community. STIs are on the rise in the US and vital information on health outcomes of the LGBTQ+ subpopulation is lacking. Existing literature has focused mainly on qualitative methods, focusing on identity disclosure and access to healthcare providers for the LGBTQ+ community. More work needs to be done using quantitative methods to examine the effect of healthcare provider communication. Using the theoretical framework of communication accommodation theory, the study answers the question: how would alternate intake formats affect patients experience? Results show that accommodating language towards the LGBTQ+ community has a positive impact on patient trust, safety, confidence, and retention; all of which are indicators of successful patient-provider centered communication. These results fortify existing literature on this topic and also have strong implications for providers in practice to use more accommodating language to improve patient-provider communication and outcomes with vulnerable communities
A Study on How African Immigrants Experience Being Black in America
No full textThis study aims to cultivate a picture of what media coverage is out there on African immigrants that focuses on societal issues in America that have been popularized by Black American communities. These issues include; race-based discrimination, micro-aggressions, police mistrust and inter-racial dating practices. The importance of this study lies in the understanding of generational pain and suffering, and to learn if Black minorities who weren’t raised in America and weren’t privy to the emergence of that generational suffering feel a connection to Black American social struggles. It is also important to analyze the field and see what work has been done to look at the Black American experience using academic writing. This study would be completed by interviewing and providing questionnaires to African immigrants who have recently migrated to the United States, as well as a comprehensive literature review of previous study findings. The participants will be recruited in person using platforms in different African immigrant communities and forums. The in-person data will only be collected after health officials deem it safe to start working with others post-COVID. Once the data is gathered, we will analyze it qualitatively
The Role of Trust in Communicating Scientific Consensus and the Environmental Benefits of Genetically Engineered Crops: Experimental Evidence of a Backfire Effect
No full textGenetically engineered (GE) crops are likely to be one solution when it comes to balancing the needs of a growing human population and changing climate. Recent data suggest that many U.S. adults believe that GE foods are risky for human health and the environment, despite scientific consensus that they are no more harmful to human health or the environment than conventionally bred crops. While some evidence suggests that consensus messaging could be a significant factor in publics’ perceptions about technologies like GE, the effect of communicating scientific consensus and under different conditions remains unclear. We test message effectiveness in terms of individuals’ consensus perceptions and beliefs about the environmental risks and benefits of GE technology. We find that consensus messaging reduces perceived environmental risks of GE crops, and that supplementing a consensus message with benefits information reduces perceived environmental risks and increases anticipated benefits. We find an interaction effect for trust in scientists, such that those who have lower trust in industry scientists exhibit a backfire effect when exposed to consensus information
Strengthening Public Engagement on Environmental Hazards: Insights from Cross-Disciplinary Air Pollution Research
No full textStudying air pollution provides an opportunity to explore public opinion about the environment from a health perspective, and examine how the often-siloed fields of health, environmental, and science communication might inform each other to generate a more holistic understanding of these issues. This raises an important question for social scientists: what is the best way to understand public perception of hazards that rest at the intersection of health, the environment, and science? In this study, we examine the extent to which risk perceptions and environmental values predict individual-level protective behaviours and civic action surrounding air pollution in Portland, Oregon. We find that risk perceptions significantly predict individual-level protective behaviour, civic action, and engagement preferences to varying degrees. We also find that the inclusion of environmental values offers additional explanatory power. Results demonstrate that combining approaches from health, environmental, and science communication offers a more holistic understanding of public perception of and engagement with environmental risks
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Epistemic Engagement: Examining Personal Epistemology and Engagement Preferences with Climate Change in Oregon
No full textEngaging politically polarized publics surrounding climate science is a vital element in the effort to enact climate mitigation policy. Science communication experts have identified several models of public engagement with science, including the deficit, dialogue, participation, and lay expertise model. Existing research suggests that the deficit model in particular is a largely ineffective model of engagement for controversial science like climate change. There is very little research, however, regarding the engagement preferences of political groups, or how those preferences differ. This study assesses preferences for climate change engagement in the state of Oregon in the United States and examines the relationship between those preferences and epistemic beliefs about climate science. Overall, we find that liberals are significantly more likely than moderates or conservatives to view climate science as certain and simple and to rely on expert knowledge more than their own direct experience. By contrast, conservatives are significantly more likely than liberals or moderates to view climate science as uncertain and complex and to rely on their own direct experience over the knowledge of content experts. We also find that perceived certainty and simplicity are positive predictors of a preference for the deficit model of science communication. Implications for public engagement with climate change and suggestions for future research are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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