Michael Ranney|Dav Clark
Climate Change Conceptual Change: Scientific Information Can Transform Attitudes
University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley
articles seven experiments first five demonstrate virtually americans know basic global warming mechanism fortunately experiments 25 found 245 min physicalchemical climate instruction durably increased understandings mechanistic learning merely receiving seven highly germane statistical facts experiment 6 also increased climatechange acceptanceacross liberalconservative spectrum however experiment 7s misleading statistics decreased acceptance dramatically knowledgeconfidence readily available attitudinal conceptual changes scientific information disconfirm term stasis theorywhich researchers many laypeople varyingly maintain stasis theory subsumes claim informing people particularly americans climate science may largely futile even counterproductivea view appears historically nave suffers range restrictions eg nearzero mechanistic knowledge andor misinterprets polarization noncausal correlational data studies evidenced polarizations finally introduce howglobalwarmingworksorga website designed directly enhance public climatechange cognition