“Repeating false and dubious claims about climate science makes them more credible – including those who accept the science and are horrified by the climate crisis – study finds new.
The study’s lead author, Mary Jiang, from the Australian National University, said: “These findings show how powerful and pervasive repetition is and how it can influence a person’s judgments of truth. “
Published in the academic journal Plos One, the study says that people are more likely to rate a statement as possibly true if they have previously experienced it, a behavioral psychologist calls the “false truth effect”.
The paper is one of the first to test the impact of statements about the climate crisis. These findings highlight the dangers of repeating and spreading misinformation.
“One repetition is enough to motivate recipients towards accepting the claim again, even when their position is in line with climate science, and they can correctly identify the claim as which is against the standing,” the paper says.
Researchers from Australian and US institutions conducted two experiments involving 52 and 120 participants, respectively. About 90% of participants in both experiments were considered “supporters of climate science.”
Participants were shown a series of common climate-related statements, including a mix of science-based and skeptical claims.
An example of a science-based claim is that “climate change models can make accurate predictions,” Jiang said. Skeptical claims may challenge the inaccuracy of climate science or suggest a conspiracy.
Participants then rated the perceived truth of a series of new statements – half new and half seen before – on a scale from definitely true to definitely false.
On average, participants believed that science-based statements were more accurate, according to the predominantly pro-climate science position. However, the results also show that repetition increases veracity scores for both climate science-related skeptical claims and climate science-related claims.
Dr Gabi Mocatta, climate science communication researcher at the University of Tasmania, said effective communication was key to climate action.
“The media is so important in all of this because the science is done… We know what the problem is and we know what needs to be done in response and we know the time frame,” he said.
Mocatta said his own soon-to-be-published research has found that climate skepticism and climate misinformation tend to “spread faster, longer and further from their source than accurate climate information. ” He said that the claims of climate skeptics tend to be more negative and sensational.
Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw, co-director of The Workshop – an organization which helps people use evidence to communicate about complex issues, including climate change – said people were often exposed to misinformation on a regular basis. -weather.
“It’s organized in a way that makes it easy for people to hear and share,” he said.
“Cognitive science is very clear that repetition is a very powerful tool because of how we process information. The more often we hear something, from different sources, including those we trust, the easier it is to process, the more it is accepted as ‘known’.
Climate communication needs to focus on repeating what is known and true rather than contradicting, debunking myths, and repeating what is not. [benar].”
Jiang’s research found that repetition affects the veracity of climate skeptics’ claims even among people who are most surprised by climate change.
The paper concludes: “Don’t repeat false information. Instead, repeat what is true and increase knowledge.”” >
2024-08-07 18:25:36
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