The project elaborates on the social psychological dimension of pubic (i.e., laypersons’) understanding of scientific evidence. Our working assumption is that laypersons draw on social (self-)categorizations in order to reduce epistemological uncertainty and to meaningfully interpret contradictions. Interpretation of conflicting scientific evidence and the ensuing contradiction in terms of social conflict between different social or societal groups and their associated experts allows for the re-emergence of (inter)subjective order and clarity. As a rather unregulated, actively used medium, the internet gives access to an ever-increasing number of volatile pieces of information associated with extreme social positions and thus provides ample opportunities for the influence of social categorization processes. Building on a theoretical integration of research on social (self-)categorization and elaboration of social and epistemic conflicts, we will conduct a series of experimental studies on the role of social categorization in understanding fragile and conflicting scientific evidence in the context of the internet. Besides “problematic” influences on the quality of information processing (information seeking, perception, elaboration, judgment) we also investigate the constructive impact of social categorization upon understanding scientific evidence.
Conference Contributions:
Borzikowsky, C., Laurus, R., Simon, B. & Wollschläger, D. (2011, Juni). The role of selfcategorization in laypersons’ understanding of scientific evidence. Vortrag auf der DFG-NSFgeförderten Konferenz „Public Understanding and Public Engagement with Science“, New York City, New York, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika, 29.06.2011.
Applicant 1
Prof. Dr. Bernd Simon
Institut für Psychologie
Universität Kiel
Olshausenstr. 62
24118 Kiel
0431-880-3972
simon@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
Forschungsschwerpunkte/-interessen (englisch /deutsch)
group processes, identity, respect, power, politicization/Gruppenprozesse, Identität, Respekt, Macht und Politisierung
Applicant 2
Dr. Daniel Wollschläger
Institut für Psychologie
Universität Kiel
Olshausenstr. 62
24118 Kiel
0431-880-3677
dwoll@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
Forschungsschwerpunkte/-interessen (englisch /deutsch)
Visual information processing, principles of cognitive inference/Visuelle Informationsverarbeitung, Inferenzprinzipien des kognitiven Systems
Staff 1
Christoph Borzikowsky
Dipl.-Psych.
Institut für Psychologie
Universität Kiel
Otto-Hahn-Platz 1
24118 Kiel
0431-880-1563
borzikowsky@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
website
Staff 2
Rauha Laurus, Dipl.-Psych.
Universität Kiel
Institut für Psychologie
Otto-Hahn-Platz 1
24118 Kiel
Tel.: +49 431 8802974
laurus@psychologie.uni-kiel.de
website