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PDF
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Type:
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Conference Paper |
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Author:
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Brono, Sandra; Dugas, Emilie; Lammel, Annamaria |
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Conference:
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International Conference on Climate Change & Social Issues 2011 |
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Location:
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Colombo, Sri Lanka |
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Conf. Date:
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14-15 December |
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Date:
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2011 |
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URI:
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https://hdl.handle.net/10535/7741
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Sector:
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General & Multiple Resources |
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Region:
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Europe |
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Subject(s):
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climate change
cognition
environment
representation
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Abstract:
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"Even if climate change is a verified fact, several studies show that many individuals remain skeptical and present difficulties of understanding the phenomenon. Joireman et al. (2010) reveal that outdoor temperatures influence the agreement and the representations of climate change. The present paper, based on a longitudinal study with adults (N=72 in Paris, France M=31), tests the influence of outdoor temperature on the cognitive stability of skepticism concerning the reality of global climate change. A questionnaire (seven- points Likert scale) was administrated to the same subjects in three different conditions: twice in summer (M of temperature during the experiments 27, 4°C) and in winter (average temperature during the experiments: -4, 5°C). Data indicate that temperature plays an important role on the degree of skepticism: winter temperatures correlate with a rise of skepticism in the same subject. Results suggest that low temperature is a factor that prevents the computation of complex climate information and creates the perception of the possibility of the reversibility of present climate change. The present study put forward that important variation of temperature can contribute to the cognitive vulnerability of the individual and inhibited him to understand the nature of climate change. Data is discussed in light of relevant literature."
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