Skepticism or Denial? The Erosion of Trust in Scientific Expertise - Livestream

How do individuals decide whether to get vaccinated, consume genetically modified foods, or vote to support climate change mitigation efforts in their neighborhood? Democracies depend on educated citizens who can make informed decisions about scientific issues. In, Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It, Sinatra and co-author Barbara Hofer examine the psychological factors contributing to science denial, doubt, and resistance. The themes from the book including the role of psychological constructs such as misconceptions, cognitive biases, emotions, identity, epistemic cognition, and motivated reasoning in (mis)understanding science. This presentation will focus on how skepticism, a cornerstone scientific value, can lead some to mistrust, doubt, and denial of consensus science and what this means for the health and wellbeing of the people and the planet.

Speaker: Gale Sinatra, University of Southern California

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