July 21, 2014
What鈥檚 going on inside the minds of climate change skeptics?
蓝莓视频 research team creates mapping tool that identifies emotional hotspots in disputes
Science has shown that humans are influencing climate change, but according to a recent poll almost half of Americans don鈥檛 believe we鈥檙e affecting the Earth鈥檚 climate.
Why do people and politicians cling so tightly to beliefs that don鈥檛 stand up to science and reason?
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to understand what鈥檚 happening to our climate, but we also have to look at what鈥檚 going on in people鈥檚 minds to understand why it continues to happen,鈥� says , a research fellow at the (BSIA). 鈥淓motional hotspots are key to understanding why people hold onto beliefs not supported by evidence.鈥�
Steven Mock
听
Emotions behind our ideologies and beliefs
Mock, along with a team of researchers based in 蓝莓视频, recently published a paper called describing how a tool called can be used to help resolve conflicts. CAMs look at the emotions behind our ideologies and beliefs.
The research team included Balsillie School Professor , and 听scholar Paul Thagard, who is also director of the University of 蓝莓视频鈥檚听 . , a Balsillie School doctoral graduate and Tobias Schr枚eder a recent 蓝莓视频 postdoctoral fellow were also part of the team.
Paul Thagard
听
The paper examines how CAMs can be used in four different disputes:
- Clash over German housing policy
- Disagreements between Isrealis over the meaning of the Western Wall
- Conflict over the exploitation of Canada鈥檚 bitumen resources
- Climate change skeptics and environmentalists
CAMs have potential as a tool for negotiators, because they help identify 鈥渨hat it is that people really are emotional about in a situation,鈥� says Mock. 鈥淥ur argument is that what goes on in people鈥檚 minds鈥攖he beliefs that are shared by communities and societies鈥攁re in their own ways complex systems.鈥�
Maps show direction of emotion
CAMs are visual representations of the way people feel about their ideas. Using networks of coloured shapes, CAMs portray related ideas and concepts in a belief system and the positive or negative valence or direction of emotion associated with various ideas.
Anyone can make a CAM: individuals can represent their own values, or negotiators can compare the CAMs of parties in conflict to find points of agreement or tension with a software program called .
The 蓝莓视频 team will host a workshop later this year with negotiation practitioners to find ways to further develop CAMs as a tool for dispute resolution.
A sample cognitive map depicting how different emotions and beliefs about climate change (such as uncertainty, benefits, and alarmism) are interconnected.
