Science terms elicit ideological differences in message processing

Bibliographic Data

ID21577301
AuthorsBlue Lerner (0000-0001-5535-2132, corresponding author), H C Shulman (0000-0001-7525-8119)
Year2024
Volume41
Issue3
Pages193-198
Publication date2024-05-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunication Research Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0882-4096 • E-ISSN: 1746-4099
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08824096.2024.2382743
OpenAlexW4400915802
LanguageEN
References cited10

An experiment (N = 209) investigated whether terms about the scientific method impacted processing fluency similarly to other forms of jargon. Political ideology emerged as a significant moderator of the effects of method jargon on processing fluency. Specifically, liberals reported a more negative processing experience after exposure to the jargon condition, in line with expected general effects of jargon, while conservatives did not report a similarly negative experience. This preliminary result adds to accumulating evidence that suggests political ideology poses a challenge for science communication

Fluency · Ideology · Jargon · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Moderation · Political science · Politics · Processing fluency · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Law · Media Influence and Health · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access