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Cultural Cognition of Scientific ConsensusDan M. KahanYale University - Law School; Harvard University - Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Hank Jenkins-SmithUniversity of Oklahoma Donald BramanGeorge Washington University - Law School; Cultural Cognition Project February 7, 2010 Journal of Risk Research, Vol. 14, pp. 147-74, 2011 Yale Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 205 Abstract: Why do members of the public disagree - sharply and persistently - about facts on which expert scientists largely agree? We designed a study to test a distinctive explanation: the cultural cognition of scientific consensus. The "cultural cognition of risk" refers to the tendency of individuals to form risk perceptions that are congenial to their values. The study presents both correlational and experimental evidence confirming that cultural cognition shapes individuals' beliefs about the existence of scientific consensus, and the process by which they form such beliefs, relating to climate change, the disposal of nuclear wastes, and the effect of permitting concealed possession of handguns. The implications of this dynamic for science communication and public policy-making are discussed.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 40 Keywords: Cultural Cognition, Climate Change, Gun Control, Nuclear Power, Risk, Public Opinion Date posted: February 8, 2010 ; Last revised: April 16, 2013Suggested CitationContact Information
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