Marlene Altenmüller
Biographic Data
| ID | 762433 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marlene Altenmüller |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marlene |
| FAMILY NAME | Altenmüller |
| SIGNATURE | ALTENMÜLLER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1714-3601 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Threatened by science
People often reject scientific evidence that is at odds with their previous beliefs. Here, we examine the role of threat in such motivated science rejection and whether affirmations in science communication can effectively reduce threat, thereby alleviating motivated rejection. Across three experimental studies ( N total = 2728) set in written interview scenarios about the alleged effects of gender-conscious language (i.e. using language that exp…
Power of pictures? Questioning the emotionalization and behavioral activation potential of aesthetics in war photography
War photography is not only used illustratively in news media but also displayed as controversial art objects.The ethics and impact of aestheticization in war photography have long been debated.In three studies (N1 = 243, N2 = 251, N3 = 254), we contribute empirically to this debate by testing the impact of aesthetics in war photography (i.e., aesthetic style and context) on emotionalization and behavioral activation.While viewing war photography…
Artistic activism
Who is at risk of bias? Examining dispositional differences in motivated science reception
The motivated reception of science in line with one’s preexisting convictions is a well-documented, pervasive phenomenon. In two studies ( N = 743), we investigated whether this bias might be stronger in some people than others due to dispositional differences. Building on the assumptions that motivated science reception is driven by perceived threat and suspicion and higher under perceived ambiguity and uncertainty, we focused on traits associat…
Public Communication about Science in 68 Countries
This 68-country survey ( n = 71,922) examines science information diets and communication behavior, identifies cross-country differences, and tests how such differences are associated with sociopolitical and economic conditions. We find that social media are the most used sources of science information in most countries, except those with democratic-corporatist media systems where news media tend to be used more widely. People in collectivist soc…
Victims of Conspiracies? An Examination of the Relationship Between Conspiracy Beliefs and Dispositional Individual Victimhood
Conspiracy beliefs have been linked to perceptions of collective victimhood. We adopt an individual perspective on victimhood by investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the individual disposition to perceive and react to injustice as a victim, i.e., victim justice sensitivity (VJS). Data from two German samples (Ns = 370, 373) indicated a positive association between VJS and conspiracy mentality beyond conceptually related c…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
The double-edged sword of informality
Communication style is critical in fostering and maintaining trust in private and professional relationships. Anecdotal evidence and applied communication strategies suggest that an informal communication style not only reflects but also causes feelings of closeness and trust. However, the experimental evidence on this is mixed, which suggests that the effects are contingent on boundary conditions. In the present article, we test four hypotheses …
Künstlerische Protesttaktiken als Antwort auf das Activist Dilemma? Eine experimentelle Annäherung
Article Künstlerische Protesttaktiken als Antwort auf das Activist Dilemma? Eine experimentelle Annäherung was published on September 30, 2024 in the journal Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen (volume 37, issue 3)
(Not) alone in the museum
Human experiences are highly sensitive towards social cues and art appreciation is no exception. In the present paper, we consider the role of social influence for aesthetic experiences. Specifically, we compared three experimental conditions varying implicit social cues (N = 533): Participants viewed a muted video of the expressionist painting “Tirol” by Franz Marc (1914) which either displayed no other visitors or two seemingly interested other…
Victim empowerment and satisfaction
Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is a prominent approach to help individuals alleviate the negative consequences following victimization. In two studies (total N = 641), participants experienced a victimization incident induced by a video. In subsequent audio‐guided (ImRs or control) interventions, we examined the impact of imagined (i) victims' active or passive role, (ii) punishment for the offender (yes/no), and (iii) offender moral change (yes/no) …
Explaining Polarized Trust in Scientists
Trust in science is polarized along political lines—but why? We show across a series of highly controlled studies (total N = 2,859) and a large-scale Twitter analysis ( N = 3,977,868) that people across the political spectrum hold stereotypes about scientists’ political orientation (e.g., “scientists are liberal”) and that these stereotypes decisively affect the link between their own political orientation and their trust in scientists. Criticall…
No harm in being self-corrective
Science should be self-correcting. However, researchers often hesitate to admit errors and to adopt reforms in their own work. In two studies (overall N = 702), we test whether scientific self-criticism and reform intentions expressed by researchers damage or rather improve their reputation in the eyes of the public (i.e. perceivers). Across both studies, such self-correction (compared to no self-correction) increases perceivers’ epistemic trustw…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
Explaining Polarized Trust in Scientists
Trust in science is polarized along political lines—but why? We show across a series of highly controlled studies (total N = 2,859) and a large-scale Twitter analysis ( N = 3,977,868) that people across the political spectrum hold stereotypes about scientists’ political orientation (e.g., “scientists are liberal”) and that these stereotypes decisively affect the link between their own political orientation and their trust in scientists. Criticall…
Victims of Conspiracies? An Examination of the Relationship Between Conspiracy Beliefs and Dispositional Individual Victimhood
Conspiracy beliefs have been linked to perceptions of collective victimhood. We adopt an individual perspective on victimhood by investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the individual disposition to perceive and react to injustice as a victim, i.e., victim justice sensitivity (VJS). Data from two German samples (Ns = 370, 373) indicated a positive association between VJS and conspiracy mentality beyond conceptually related c…
The double-edged sword of informality
Communication style is critical in fostering and maintaining trust in private and professional relationships. Anecdotal evidence and applied communication strategies suggest that an informal communication style not only reflects but also causes feelings of closeness and trust. However, the experimental evidence on this is mixed, which suggests that the effects are contingent on boundary conditions. In the present article, we test four hypotheses …
No harm in being self-corrective
Science should be self-correcting. However, researchers often hesitate to admit errors and to adopt reforms in their own work. In two studies (overall N = 702), we test whether scientific self-criticism and reform intentions expressed by researchers damage or rather improve their reputation in the eyes of the public (i.e. perceivers). Across both studies, such self-correction (compared to no self-correction) increases perceivers’ epistemic trustw…
Künstlerische Protesttaktiken als Antwort auf das Activist Dilemma? Eine experimentelle Annäherung
Article Künstlerische Protesttaktiken als Antwort auf das Activist Dilemma? Eine experimentelle Annäherung was published on September 30, 2024 in the journal Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen (volume 37, issue 3)
(Not) alone in the museum
Human experiences are highly sensitive towards social cues and art appreciation is no exception. In the present paper, we consider the role of social influence for aesthetic experiences. Specifically, we compared three experimental conditions varying implicit social cues (N = 533): Participants viewed a muted video of the expressionist painting “Tirol” by Franz Marc (1914) which either displayed no other visitors or two seemingly interested other…
Victim empowerment and satisfaction
Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is a prominent approach to help individuals alleviate the negative consequences following victimization. In two studies (total N = 641), participants experienced a victimization incident induced by a video. In subsequent audio‐guided (ImRs or control) interventions, we examined the impact of imagined (i) victims' active or passive role, (ii) punishment for the offender (yes/no), and (iii) offender moral change (yes/no) …
Explaining Polarized Trust in Scientists
Trust in science is polarized along political lines—but why? We show across a series of highly controlled studies (total N = 2,859) and a large-scale Twitter analysis ( N = 3,977,868) that people across the political spectrum hold stereotypes about scientists’ political orientation (e.g., “scientists are liberal”) and that these stereotypes decisively affect the link between their own political orientation and their trust in scientists. Criticall…
Power of pictures? Questioning the emotionalization and behavioral activation potential of aesthetics in war photography
War photography is not only used illustratively in news media but also displayed as controversial art objects.The ethics and impact of aestheticization in war photography have long been debated.In three studies (N1 = 243, N2 = 251, N3 = 254), we contribute empirically to this debate by testing the impact of aesthetics in war photography (i.e., aesthetic style and context) on emotionalization and behavioral activation.While viewing war photography…
Artistic activism
Who is at risk of bias? Examining dispositional differences in motivated science reception
The motivated reception of science in line with one’s preexisting convictions is a well-documented, pervasive phenomenon. In two studies ( N = 743), we investigated whether this bias might be stronger in some people than others due to dispositional differences. Building on the assumptions that motivated science reception is driven by perceived threat and suspicion and higher under perceived ambiguity and uncertainty, we focused on traits associat…
Public Communication about Science in 68 Countries
This 68-country survey ( n = 71,922) examines science information diets and communication behavior, identifies cross-country differences, and tests how such differences are associated with sociopolitical and economic conditions. We find that social media are the most used sources of science information in most countries, except those with democratic-corporatist media systems where news media tend to be used more widely. People in collectivist soc…
Victims of Conspiracies? An Examination of the Relationship Between Conspiracy Beliefs and Dispositional Individual Victimhood
Conspiracy beliefs have been linked to perceptions of collective victimhood. We adopt an individual perspective on victimhood by investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the individual disposition to perceive and react to injustice as a victim, i.e., victim justice sensitivity (VJS). Data from two German samples (Ns = 370, 373) indicated a positive association between VJS and conspiracy mentality beyond conceptually related c…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
The double-edged sword of informality
Communication style is critical in fostering and maintaining trust in private and professional relationships. Anecdotal evidence and applied communication strategies suggest that an informal communication style not only reflects but also causes feelings of closeness and trust. However, the experimental evidence on this is mixed, which suggests that the effects are contingent on boundary conditions. In the present article, we test four hypotheses …
Threatened by science
People often reject scientific evidence that is at odds with their previous beliefs. Here, we examine the role of threat in such motivated science rejection and whether affirmations in science communication can effectively reduce threat, thereby alleviating motivated rejection. Across three experimental studies ( N total = 2728) set in written interview scenarios about the alleged effects of gender-conscious language (i.e. using language that exp…
Psychology (10 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (6 works) · Climate Change Communication and Perception (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (5 works) · Trustworthiness (4 works) · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis (3 works) · Aesthetics (3 works) · Art (3 works)