Source Identity, Consensus,

Transcription

1 Source Identity, Consensus, and the Ability to Achieve Closure Charlotte Koot, Emma ter Mors, Naomi Ellemers and Dancker D. L. Daamen Leiden University, the Netherlands April 12, 2012 IEAGHG SRN meeting 2012 Noosa Heads, Asutralia

2 Public Attitudes and CCS Public support and successful implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Public knowledge is low A complex topic Invasive into people s lives Organizations involved therefore communicate to g the public about CCS

3 Open versus Closed Attitudes Open vs. closed (definite) attitudes Closed attitudes can be both well and badly informed Closed attitudes are more predictive of behavior (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) Most research has focused on the need for cognitive closure A motivational need Little knowledge on people s p ability to achieve closure

4 Ability to Achieve Closure Ability tytoto achieve e cognitive closure: cosue: The perceived ability to make judgments and decisions confidently and with certainty (cf. Roets & Soetens, 2010) Consequences of ability to achieve closure Consequences of ability to achieve closure Cognition: ease of attitude formation/achievement of closure Behavior: Readiness to vote

5 Ability to Achieve Closure Ability tytoto achieve e cognitive closure: cosue: The perceived ability to make judgments and decisions confidently and with certainty (cf. Roets & Soetens, 2010) Consequences of ability to achieve closure Cognition: ease of attitude formation/achievement of closure Behavior: Readiness to vote Precursors of the ability to achieve closure

6 Precursors of Ability to Achieve Closure Precursors of ability to achieve closure (Expected) Ability to Achieve Closure Information Attitude formation Achievement of Closure Behavior

7 Precursors of Ability to Achieve Closure The current research we examine ea ethe eeffects ectso: of: Source identity Internal consensus vs. non consensus Two experiments

8 Experiment 1 Information Source Design: Source identity (2 conditions) N = 98 Procedure A study on attitudes about CCS Source Identity manipulation: Association of Dutch Geophysicists and Sustainability vs. Association of Citizen s and Sustainability

9 Experiment 1 Procedure Source Identity manipulation: In your case the information about CCS and its implementation in the Netherlands is coming from the Dutch Association of Geophysicists and Sustainability. This association is concerned with developments regarding sustainability and consists of geophysicists, who are specialized in this topic. The Dutch Association of Geophysicists and Sustainability has listed information about aspects and characteristics of CCS that in their view are the most important.

10 Experiment 1 Procedure Source Identity manipulation: In your case the information about CCS and its implementation in the Netherlands is coming from the Association of Citizens and Sustainability. This association is concerned with developments regarding sustainability and consists of Dutch citizens with diverse backgrounds and who are interested in the topic. The Association of Citizens and Sustainability has listed information about aspects and characteristics of CCS that in their view are the most important.

11 Experiment 1 Procedure Manipulation check p Questionnaire on: Perceived Expertise (4 items, α =.91) E.g. I think that the members of source are very knowledgeable on the topic of CCS. (1 = completely disagree, 7 = completely agree) Expected Ability to Achieve Closure (4 items, α =.69) E.g. I think that I can form a clear opinion on CCS on the basis of the information of source. (1 = completely disagree, 7 = completely agree)

12 Experiment 1 Expected Ability to Achieve Closure 7 6 Geophysicists 5 ** Citizens Association ** p <.01

13 Experiment 1 Perceived Expertise 7 *** 6 5 Geophysicists Citizens Association *** p <.001

14 Experiment 1 Mediation Perceived Expertise β =.47*** β =.31** Geophysicists i β =.32** / β =.17 ns Expected Ability vs. Citizen s to Achieve Association Closure ** p <.01, *** p <.001 Bootstrap 95% confidence interval -.51, -.10

15 Experiment 2 Information Source and Consensus Design: Information Source [Geophysicists vs. Citizen s Association] Consensus [Consensus vs. Non Consensus] N = 86 Procedure A study on attitude about CCS Source Identity manipulation: Association of Dutch Geophysicists and Sustainability vs. Association of Citizen s and Sustainability Consensus manipulation: Members of the source agree/disagree among each other about the consequences of CCS for the environment.

16 Manipulation check Questionnaire on: Experiment 2 Procedure Perceived source Expertise (4 items, α =.93) Expected Ability to Achieve Closure (4 items, α =.83) Text with information on CCS allegedly by Expert/Non Expert source containing a Consensus/Non Consensus message

17 Experiment 2 Procedure Example of consensus manipulation: The members of our association think that the effect of CCS for the environment is positive, since the technology reduces CO2 emissions and thereby fights climate change. Indeed, large amounts of chemical waste are released during the capture of CO2, but according to our members this does not outweigh the advantage of fighting climate change.

18 Procedure (cont.) Experiment 2 Procedure Measures of Cognitive Closure Achieved: Self report (13 items, α =.81) E.g. I feel undecided about my opinion on CCS. (reverse coded) (1 = completely disagree, 7 = completely agree) Bh Behavioral measure: Participants indicate whether or not they were ready to participate in a poll on CCS

19 Experiment 2 Perceived Expertise 7 * 6 * 5 4 Consensus Non-Consensus Geophysicists Citizens Association * p <.05

20 Experiment 2 Expected Ability to Achieve Closure * 4 Consensus Non-Consensus Geophysicists Citizens Association * p <.05

21 Experiment 2 Cognitive Closure Achieved * 4 Consensus Non-Consensus Geophysicists Citizens Association * p <.05

22 Experiment 2 Participation in Poll ** 60 % 50 Consensus Non-Consensus Geophysicists Citizen's Association ** p <.01

23 Experiment 2 Mediation I Citizen s Association condition Perceived Expertise β = -.31* β =.43** Consensus vs. Non-Consensus β = -.34* / β = -.20 ns Expected Ability to Achieve Closure * p <.05, ** p <.01, *** p <.001 Bootstrap 95% confidence interval -.77, -.04

24 Experiment 2 Mediation II Citizen s Association condition Expected Ability to Achieve Closure β = -.34* β =.38** β = -.57*** / β = -.45** Consensus Cognitive vs. Closure Achieved Non-Consensus * p <.05, ** p <.01, *** p <.001 Bootstrap 95% confidence interval -.50, -.06

25 Discussion Summary of results Higher perceived expertise of an information source leads to greater expected and perceived ability to achieve closure. A source that is generally regarded as non expert (i.e. Citizen s Association) and that expresses strong internal consensus induces a greater ability to achieve closure than when it does not express consensus.

26 Discussion Although certain information sources are generally regarded as experts, their perceived level of expertise can be affected by their communication. Expressing consensus or not appears to have little effect for the ability to achieve closure when the information source is generally considered an expert source (i.e. geophysicists). However, this may be due to the relatively l mild manipulation i of consensus.

27 Thank you for your attention Charlotte Koot nl