Seminar 3. Identity and Communication

5th April 2011 - School of Psychology, University of Exeter

Misunderstandings between the scientific world and the wider public are commonplace in contemporary society. They are particularly apparent in certain areas of science that are closely linked to policy-making and may have significant implications for the general public, such as climate science. Increasing complexity of scientific knowledge, proliferation of information media and discourses, and greater public involvement in policy decision-making, suggest that it may be more challenging, but also more important than ever to develop effective communication between the scientific world and the general public. Social psychology offers useful insights conducive to achieving the above aim of effective communication. This seminar will discuss some of these insights, in particular related to norm formation, managing popular beliefs and uncertainty.

An important element of successful communication, and indeed of the psychology of sustainability, relates to identity. Recently there has been a growing understanding that true and sustained behaviour change in the environmental domain involves incorporation of “green” ideals into one’s self rather than using sticks and carrots to stimulate change in a mechanical way. When and how do “green” ideals become part of our identity? What psychological processes can be relied on to achieve this, and what psychological barriers do we need to be aware of? The third seminar in the BPS-funded seminar series on 'Psychology of Sustainability' will explore the role of emotion and identity in motivating support for sustainable action.

Location:

Room 105, Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Washington Singer Labs, Streatham Campus, University of Exeter

See: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/visit/directions/streathammap/ (Washington Singer building number 9)

Program:

10.30 Registration and coffee

10.50 Welcome and Introduction - Dr. Anna Rabinovich (Psychology, University of Exeter)

11.00 When norms collide: The impact of conflicting injunctive and descriptive norms on intentions and behaviour - Dr. Joanne Smith (Psychology, University of Exeter)

11.45 The meta-psychology of climate change: Unhelpful popular beliefs about the psychological consequences of believing in global warming and acting accordingly - Dr. Robbie Sutton (School of Psychology, University of Kent)

12.30 Lunch

1.15 Place, Emotion and identity: exploring alternatives to the 'NIMBY' (Not In My Back Yard) concept - Prof. Patrick Devine-Wright (Geography, University of Exeter)

2.00 Interventions to promote modal shift and perceptions of electric vehicles - Prof. Charles Abraham (Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Exeter)

2.45 Tea and coffee

3.00 Climate Science: A changing conversation - Dr. Dave Britton (Communications Team, Met Office)

3.45 Overcoming barriers in communicating climate science - Dr. Anna Rabinovich (Psychology, University of Exeter)

4.30 Final reflections and conclusions - Prof. Richard Eiser (Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield)

5.00 Wine reception

Seminar 2. Attitude-behaviour gap

Thursday 27 January 2011, Oak suite - University of Surrey

The attitude-behaviour gap or value-action gap. Does it exist and if so how do we deal with it?

The relationship between attitudes and values on the one hand and behaviours on the other has been a focus of research for decades. Although there is evidence to suggest that attitudes do relate to behaviours and that attitude change can lead to behaviour change, the relationship is not always predictable.

Within the field of environmental psychology, the attitude-behaviour gap (or value-action gap) is a hotly debated issue. This symposium provides three different perspectives on the topic from three distinguished international academics who have many years experience of researching this topic.

This seminar - the second in the BPS seminar series on the Psychology of Sustainability - is a unique opportunity to hear the most current positions and research from three experts. There will be plenty of time to discuss these ideas and their implications the development of theoretical perspectives and future research on attitude-behaviour relationships as well as the practical and policy implications of research findings.

Programme

09.30 - 10.00 Dr Birgitta Gatersleben: Welcome and introduction

10.00 - 11.00 Prof. John Thøgersen: Spillover of pro-environmental behaviour: Generalizing, a license to anti-social behaviour, or neither?

11.00 - 12.00 Prof. Linda Steg: Normative influence on environmental behaviour

12.00 - 13.00 Lunch

13.00 - 14.00 Prof. Florian Kaiser: Campbell's paradigm: A teleological not a causal (environmental) attitude-behaviour link

14.00 - 14.30 Dr Birgitta Gatersleben: Summary and introduction to discussion

14.30 - 14.45 Tea

14.45 - 15.45 Discussion

15.45 - 15.15 Prof. David Uzzell: Summary and conclusions

Professor Linda Steg

Linda Steg is professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen. Her research focuses on explaining and changing environmentally significant behaviour. She is particularly interested in the effects of normative concerns, such as norms, values, and moral considerations, on environmental behaviour.

Professor John Thøgersen

John Thøgersen is Professor of Economic Psychology. His current research includes projects on social norms in the environmental field, promoting energy conservation in households, consumer acceptance of organic food products in China, Brazil and Europe, and intergenerational transfer of environmental concern.

Professor Florian Kaiser

Florian G. Kaiser is professor of personality and social psychology at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany. His research interests include attitude theory, the attitude-behaviour relationship particularly with respect to environmental conservation, environmental knowledge & competency, psychological policy support, and large-scale behaviour change.

Dr Birgitta Gatersleben

Birgitta Gatersleben is Lecturer in Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey. Her work concentrates on sustainable consumption, transport and experiences with nature.

Prof. David Uzzell

David Uzzell is Professor of Environmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Surrey. His principal research interests focus on public understandings of climate change, critical psychological approaches to changing consumption and production practices, environmental risk, and identity and the past.

If you would like to attend please contact:

Birgitta Gatersleben - b.gatersleben@surrey.ac.uk

Seminar 1. Psychological Distance & Sustainability

Wednesday 22nd September 2010

School of Psychology, Cardiff University

Climate change is perceived by individuals to be temporally, spatially, socially, and hypothetically distant. In other words, it is an issue which is seen to affect future generations, other people and remote places (e.g., developing countries), and is uncertain. This psychological distance contributes to a lack of emotional or behavioural engagement with the issue. A major challenge, then, is to make the issue more salient in decision-making. Here, much can be learnt from work on temporal construal, heuristics/biases (availability, optimism, etc.) in risk perception and communication, experiential learning, and from work on future-oriented behaviour in related fields (e.g., economic psychology).

The first workshop of the BPS seminar series Psychology of Sustainability explored these and other aspects of Psychological Distance in the context of climate change and other sustainability issues. The workshop was organised around three themes: (a) Spatial, Temporal & Social Distance; (b) Learning from Other Contexts; and (c) Hypothetical Distance & Uncertainty. In addition, the afternoon session included discussion around development of future, collaborative research.

Programme

10.15am Registration & Coffee.

Room 12.11 (12th floor), School of Psychology (Park Place, Cardiff University: see no. 30 on map)

10.45am Welcome and Introduction.

Dr. Lorraine Whitmarsh (School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

11.00am. Spatial, Temporal and Social Distance.

Flooding experiences may turn the tide on climate change.

Dr. Alexa Spence (Horizon Institute, Nottingham University)

Psychological distance - exploring construal level theory in the context of sustainability.

Dr. Sabine Pahl (School of Psychology, University of Plymouth)

Discussion

12.30pm Buffet Lunch

13.15pm Learning from Other Contexts

Economic psychology, psychological distance and sustainability.

Professor Paul Webley (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London)

Discussion

14.15pm Hypothetical Distance and Uncertainty

Climate change discourses of scepticism.

Stuart Capstick (School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

Uncertainty and attitudes towards climate change: biased assimilation but no polarisation.

Dr. Adam Corner (School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

Discussion

15.15pm Tea/Coffee

15.30pm Workshop discussion: Future Research

16.30pm Plenary discussion

Final reflections

Professor Nick Pidgeon (School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

5.00pm Close.

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Seminar 2. Value-Action Gap. Department of Psychology, University of Surrey – 27th January 2011)

Seminar 3. Identity & Communication. Department of Psychology, University of Exeter – TBA (2011)

Further details of seminar 3 will be posted in due course.

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One Day Research Student Conference: Human Behaviour and Climate Change

9:30-5:30pm Tuesday 21st September 2010, School of Psychology, Cardiff University

Conference Organisers: Professor Nick Pidgeon and Dr Lorraine Whitmarsh, Understanding Risk Group, School of Psychology, Cardiff University

Programme

9:40-10:30

Human behaviour and climate change – emerging issues and challenges Part1 Part2, Nick Pidgeon, Understanding Risk Group and School of Psychology, Cardiff University

11:00-12:30

Pathways to action on climate change: how “climate-friendly” practices evolve in individual lives, Sarah Hards, University of York

Lights, camera…action? Stages of behavioural change and the impact of the climate change film The Age of StupidPart1 Part2 Part3, Rachel Howell, University of Edinburgh

Scepticism within public perspectives on climate change: conceptual and methodological issues, Stuart Capstick, Cardiff University

A two country study of support for mitigation and adaptation policies and personal intentions to act, Adrian Bruegger, Exeter University

13:30-15:30

PARALLEL SESSION A – Perceptions and Behaviour

Explaining the effect of visualisations: applying elaborated intrusion theory to environmental psychology, Christine Boomsma, Sabine Pahl and Jackie Andrade, University of Plymouth

Explaining what factors contribute to residential energy consumption in the UK using a structural equation model, Scott Kelly, University of Cambridge

Attractiveness to retail centres – a behaviour-led model for energy use around district and metropolitan centres, Steve Lorimer University College London

Home insulation: going over the top?, Ray Galvin, University of East Anglia

Small-group interaction as a mechanism for environmental norm formation, Christopher C. Duke and Thomas A. Morton University of Exeter

PARALLEL SESSION B – Values and Ethics

Scepticism in climate change and policy-making: identifying appropriate sources of advice for policy-making, Tiago Ribeiro Duarte, Cardiff University

Climate change, instrumentalism and ethics: reading climate change through Zygmunt Bauman’s theses on modernity, Leon Sealey-Huggins, University of Leeds

Wanted! Post-postmodern attitudes, Keith Beasley, Bangor University

What role could fairness play in combating climate change?, Christopher Kukla, Angela Druckman, Tim Jackson, University of Surrey

16:00-17:00

Climate attitudes and behaviours – the importance of rising climate scepticism?, Lorraine Whitmarsh, School of Psychology Cardiff University and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research