Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition
Abstract Updating one’s beliefs about the causes and effects of climate change is crucial for altering attitudes and behaviours. Importantly, metacognitive abilities - insight into the (in)correctness of one’s beliefs- play a key role in the formation of polarised beliefs. We here aimed at investiga...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01528-x |
| _version_ | 1828041772016599040 |
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| author | Sophie De Beukelaer Neza Vehar Max Rollwage Stephen M. Fleming Manos Tsakiris |
| author_facet | Sophie De Beukelaer Neza Vehar Max Rollwage Stephen M. Fleming Manos Tsakiris |
| author_sort | Sophie De Beukelaer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Updating one’s beliefs about the causes and effects of climate change is crucial for altering attitudes and behaviours. Importantly, metacognitive abilities - insight into the (in)correctness of one’s beliefs- play a key role in the formation of polarised beliefs. We here aimed at investigated the role of metacognition in changing beliefs about climate change. To that end, we focused on the role of domain-general and domain-specific metacognition in updating prior beliefs about climate change across the spectrum of climate change scepticism. We also considered the role of how climate science is communicated in the form of textual or visuo-textual presentations. We asked two large US samples to perform a perceptual decision-making task (to assess domain-general decision-making and metacognitive abilities. They next performed a belief-updating task, where they were exposed to good and bad news about climate change and we asked them about their beliefs and their updating. Lastly, they completed a series of questionnaires probing their attitudes to climate change. We show that climate change scepticism is associated with differences in domain-general as well as domain-specific metacognitive abilities. Moreover, domain-general metacognitive sensitivity influenced belief updating in an asymmetric way: lower domain-general metacognition decreased the updating of prior beliefs, especially in the face of negative evidence. Our findings highlight the role of metacognitive failures in revising erroneous beliefs about climate change and point to their adverse social effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:21:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ef63992f90494bb7a31d930fca37552d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T17:21:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-ef63992f90494bb7a31d930fca37552d2023-02-05T12:06:59ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922023-02-0110111010.1057/s41599-023-01528-xChanging minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognitionSophie De Beukelaer0Neza Vehar1Max Rollwage2Stephen M. Fleming3Manos Tsakiris4The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Studies, University of LondonThe Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Studies, University of LondonWellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College LondonWellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College LondonThe Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Studies, University of LondonAbstract Updating one’s beliefs about the causes and effects of climate change is crucial for altering attitudes and behaviours. Importantly, metacognitive abilities - insight into the (in)correctness of one’s beliefs- play a key role in the formation of polarised beliefs. We here aimed at investigated the role of metacognition in changing beliefs about climate change. To that end, we focused on the role of domain-general and domain-specific metacognition in updating prior beliefs about climate change across the spectrum of climate change scepticism. We also considered the role of how climate science is communicated in the form of textual or visuo-textual presentations. We asked two large US samples to perform a perceptual decision-making task (to assess domain-general decision-making and metacognitive abilities. They next performed a belief-updating task, where they were exposed to good and bad news about climate change and we asked them about their beliefs and their updating. Lastly, they completed a series of questionnaires probing their attitudes to climate change. We show that climate change scepticism is associated with differences in domain-general as well as domain-specific metacognitive abilities. Moreover, domain-general metacognitive sensitivity influenced belief updating in an asymmetric way: lower domain-general metacognition decreased the updating of prior beliefs, especially in the face of negative evidence. Our findings highlight the role of metacognitive failures in revising erroneous beliefs about climate change and point to their adverse social effects.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01528-x |
| spellingShingle | Sophie De Beukelaer Neza Vehar Max Rollwage Stephen M. Fleming Manos Tsakiris Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition |
| title_full | Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition |
| title_fullStr | Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition |
| title_short | Changing minds about climate change: a pervasive role for domain-general metacognition |
| title_sort | changing minds about climate change a pervasive role for domain general metacognition |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01528-x |
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