Tag: Climate Change Disinformation

As growing evidence shows that engagement with politics is associated with worsening mental and physical health, a bumper election year and increasing polarization could affect millions.

Abstract

Journalists are often the adult public’s central source of scientific information, which means that their reporting shapes the relationship the public has with science. Yet philosophers of science largely ignore journalistic communication in their inquiries about trust in science. This paper aims to help fill this gap in research by comparing journalistic norm conflicts that arose when reporting on COVID-19 and tobacco, among other policy-relevant scientific topics. I argue that the public’s image of scientists– as depositories of indisputable, value-free facts, trustworthy only when in consensus– makes it particularly difficult for journalists to ethically communicate policy-relevant science rife with disagreement. In doing so, I show how journalists, like scientists, face the problem of inductive risk in such cases. To overcome this problem, I sketch a model of trust in science that is grounded in an alternative image of scientists– what I call the responsiveness model of trust in science. By highlighting the process of science over its product, the responsiveness model requires scientists to respond to empirical evidence and the public’s values to warrant the public’s trust. I then show why this model requires journalists to be the public’s watchdogs by verifying and communicating whether scientists are being properly responsive both epistemically and non-epistemically.

Abstract

Disorientation is a versatile, multidisciplinary concept. Whether associated with its spatial meaning or its non-spatial, more metaphorical sense, various disciplines have used disorientation to describe a broad range of philosophical, cultural, and social phenomena in the last decades. However, the focus on the concept from an emotional perspective remains scarce. To expand the current investigation on the topic, the present paper attempts a first approach to conceptualize disorientation as an emotional experience from an interactionist perspective. The paper reviews the previous literature, provides theoretical background and a working definition for the concept, and examines prototypical situations that are potentially disorienting for individuals, emphasizing the social and situated nature of the disorienting experience. The paper also comments on the relationships between disorientation and culture and points out some implications of the concept in mental health and psychological distress. Altogether, the paper argues about the value of disorientation as a powerful construct to gain insight into what, why, and how traumatic and everyday situations as well as current cultural and social challenges impact people emotionally.

Abstract

The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the perspectives of school community members (adolescents, parents, school administrators, teachers, mental health providers) regarding the adaptation of an evidence-based transdiagnostic mental health treatment, known as the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents, for delivery in racially/ethnically diverse schools. Thirty-three school community members (n = 9 adolescents, n = 4 parents, n = 5 school administrators, n = 10 teachers, n = 5 mental health providers) participated in a series of focus groups or individual interviews. We used a rapid qualitative analysis to summarize their recommendations for adapting our intervention across seven themes: (1) consider social determinants of health, (2) include content related to social media and digital literacy, (3) provide teachers and staff with training on identifying and referring to mental health services and basic psychoeducation, (4) build trust and reduce stigma, (5) use qualified mental health providers to conduct culturally relevant sessions in person during school hours, (6) consider flexible format offerings and extended intervention delivery window, and (7) anticipate low parental engagement. These data were critical for informing systematic content and procedural modifications to our adapted intervention, such as scheduling sessions for school lunch hours and identifying coaches (e.g., teachers, school administrators) to support students with check-ins regarding session attendance and skill practice. These adaptations may be applied more broadly to the implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions in diverse school settings.

Abstract

No scientific concept in the twenty-first century has garnered more attention from scholars outside the scientific community than the Anthropocene. Despite the official rejection by the geological community in March 2024 of the proposal for an Anthropocene Epoch as a formal unit of the Geological Time Scale, it is expected to remain an invaluable descriptor of human impact on Earth. It is also undeniable that it will continue to inspire vigorous studies not only in geology, ecology, and Earth system science but also in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. How, then, can the Anthropocene be effectively taught in science classrooms? This paper seeks to underscore the value of teaching this novel yet controversial concept to STEM students and proposes an educational curriculum that addresses both scientific content and social issues. The primary pedagogical object is to foster what we call “Anthropocene literacy,” which comprises three key components: understanding the nature of science through the lens of the Anthropocene, embracing a multidisciplinary approach, and gaining insight into the impact of human activities on the Earth. These components serve as the cornerstone of our proposed educational framework, which aims to equip students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to comprehend the complexities of the Anthropocene and its implications for our planet.

Abstract

Recent literature addressing the development of cultural competencies and antiracism in behavior-analytic graduate training programs has focused primarily on the perspectives of faculty and current practitioners. The present study reports survey data on the perceptions of graduate students actively enrolled in those programs with respect to their racial equity and inclusion practices, as one important dimension of establishing cultural competency. Verified course sequence coordinators in the United States were asked to forward an invitation with an electronic survey link to the students in their programs. Survey questions asked about perceived: (1) racial diversity of fellow students and faculty; (2) race-related experiences during recruitment; (3) inclusion of race-related topics and materials in program curricula and course content; (4) availability and adequacy of resources to support racially diverse graduate students and other diversity efforts; and (5) composition and climate of the campus, department, and program with respect to racial equity and inclusion. Overall, the survey results indicate that there is work still to be done if behavior-analytic training programs are to reflect recommended practices in equity and inclusion for our students and contribute maximally to creating antiracist graduate programs. These findings may stand as a source of some concern in our efforts to prepare developing professionals as culturally competent and antiracist researchers and practitioners.

Abstract

The global production and consumption of vegetable oils have sparked wide-ranging and often emotive discussions on sustainable development, especially on social media. Here we analyze over 20 million tweets related to vegetable oils to explore the key factors shaping public opinion. Coconut, olive, and palm oils dominate social media discourse not proportionally to their global production. Olive and palm oil discussions remarkably correlate with Twitter’s (now X) growth, while coconut shows more bursts of activity. Discussions around coconut and olive oils primarily focus on health, beauty, and food, while palm oil draws attention to pressing environmental concerns. Virality is related to environmental issues and negative connotations. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, this study highlights the multifaceted nature of the vegetable oil debate and its disconnection from scientific discussions. Our research sheds light on the power of social media in shaping public perception, providing insights into sustainable development strategies.

Abstract

The global production and consumption of vegetable oils have sparked wide-ranging and often emotive discussions on sustainable development, especially on social media. Here we analyze over 20 million tweets related to vegetable oils to explore the key factors shaping public opinion. Coconut, olive, and palm oils dominate social media discourse not proportionally to their global production. Olive and palm oil discussions remarkably correlate with Twitter’s (now X) growth, while coconut shows more bursts of activity. Discussions around coconut and olive oils primarily focus on health, beauty, and food, while palm oil draws attention to pressing environmental concerns. Virality is related to environmental issues and negative connotations. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, this study highlights the multifaceted nature of the vegetable oil debate and its disconnection from scientific discussions. Our research sheds light on the power of social media in shaping public perception, providing insights into sustainable development strategies.

Abstract

The notion of discerning political affiliations from users’ social media behavior instills a sense of unease in many. Democracy necessitates that individuals’ political affiliations remain private, and social media challenges this foundational principle of democracy. This study uses BERT, a pre-trained language model to analyze X’s (formally Twitter) users and their political affiliations to understand that how much it is easy now to find the political affiliation of people. We collect posts in both English and Urdu languages from different political leaders and their followers, which are used to fine-tune the BERT model. The model classifies the users’ profiles into Pro, Neutral, or Anti-government classes. To assess the performance of the proposed method, experiments are conducted to evaluate its accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The findings of this study confirm the hypothesis that it is easy to detect the political affiliation of individuals using social media with high accuracy (69% for English and 94% for Urdu language) and it can undermine democracy.