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The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication

Edited by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dan Kahan, and Dietram A. Scheufele

Oxford Library of Psychology

Includes topical essays from leading science of science communication scholars
Focuses on lessons from case study examples that can be learned both from communication failures and successes
Contains novel subject matter not previously examined in scholarly writings
Integrates theory with practice on a broad range of scientific topics, such as evolution and vaccines
Identifies ways to overcome biases (e.g., end point bias, availability heuristic, selective exposure) that interfere with the processing of scientific findings

The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication

Edited by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dan Kahan, and Dietram A. Scheufele

Description

The proposal to vaccinate adolescent girls against the human papilloma virus ignited political controversy, as did the advent of fracking and a host of other emerging technologies. These disputes attest to the persistent gap between expert and public perceptions. Complicating the communication of sound science and the debates that surround the societal applications of that science is a changing media environment in which misinformation can elicit belief without corrective context and likeminded individuals are prone to seek ideologically comforting information within their own self-constructed media enclaves.

Drawing on the expertise of leading science communication scholars from six countries, The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication not only charts the media landscape - from news and entertainment to blogs and films - but also examines the powers and perils of human biases - from the disposition to seek confirming evidence to the inclination to overweight endpoints in a trend line. In the process, it draws together the best available social science on ways to communicate science while also minimizing the pernicious effects of human bias.

The Handbook adds case studies exploring instances in which communication undercut or facilitated the access to scientific evidence. The range of topics addressed is wide, from genetically engineered organisms and nanotechnology to vaccination controversies and climate change. Also unique to this book is a focus on the complexities of involving the public in decision making about the uses of science, the regulations that should govern its application, and the ethical boundaries within which science should operate. The Handbook is an invaluable resource for researchers in the communication fields, particularly in science and health communication, as well as to scholars involved in research on scientific topics susceptible to distortion in partisan debate.

The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication

Edited by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dan Kahan, and Dietram A. Scheufele

Oxford Library of Psychology

Introduction: Why Science Communication?
Editors - Dan Kahan, Dietram Scheufele, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Part I: THE SCIENCE OF COMMUNICATING SCIENCE

1. The Need for a Science of Science Communication: Communicating Science's Values and Norms
Kathleen Hall Jamieson - Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication and Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center - University of Pennsylvania

2. Overview of the Science of Science Communication
Heather Akin - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Dietram Scheufele - John E. Ross Professor of Science Communication and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor - University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Morgridge Institute for Research

3. On the Sources of Ordinary Science Knowledge and Extraordinary Science Ignorance
Dan Kahan - Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology - Yale University

4. How Changing Media Structures Are Affecting Science News Coverage
Mike S. Schäfer - Professor of Science Communication - University of Zürich, Switzerland

5. What the Public Thinks and Knows about Science: And Why It Matters
William Hallman - Professor of Human Ecology - Rutgers University

6. Scientific Controversies: Can the Science of Science Communication Provide Management Guidance or only Analysis?
Bruce Lewenstein - Professor of Science Communication - Cornell University

7. A Recap: The Science of Communicating Science
Joseph Hilgard - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Nan Li - Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education and Communications - Texas Tech University

Part II: IDENTIFYING AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES TO SCIENCE FEATURED IN ATTACKS ON SCIENCE

8. Science as "Broken" vs. Science as "Self-Correcting": How Retractions and Peer-Review Problems are Exploited to Attack Science
Joseph Hilgard - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Kathleen Hall Jamieson - Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication and Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center - University of Pennsylvania

9. Publication Bias in Science: What is it, Why is it Problematic, and How Can It Be Addressed?
Andrew Brown - Scientist, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center and Office of Energetics - University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tapan Mehta - Assistant Professor in Health Services Administration and Associate Scientist, Nutrition Obesity Research Center - University of Alabama at Birmingham

David Allison - Quetelet Endowed Professor of Public Health, Associate Dean for Science, and Director, Office of Energetics - University of Alabama at Birmingham

10. Statistical Biases in Science Communication: What We Know About Them and How They Can Be Addressed
John Ioannidis - C.F. Rehnborg Chair in Disease Prevention, Professor of Medicine, and Director, Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC) - Stanford University

11. Is there a Hype Problem in Science? If So, How is it Addressed?
Peter Weingart - Professor Emeritus and former Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Research - University of Bielefeld, Germany

12. Is there a Retraction Problem? And, If So, What Do We Know About How It Is and Can Be Addressed?
Adam Marcus - Co-Founder - Retraction Watch; Managing Editor - Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News and Anesthesiology News

Ivan Oransky - Co-Founder - Retraction Watch; Vice President and Global Editorial Director - MedPage Today

13. A Recap: Identifying and Overcoming Challenges to Science Featured in Attacks on Science
Joseph Hilgard - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

PART III: SCIENCE COMUNICATION IN ACTION: FAILURES & SUCCESSES

14. A Comparative Study of Communication about Food Safety Before, During and After the "Mad Cow" Crisis
Matteo Ferrari - Assistant Professor of Private Law - University of Trento, Italy

15. Cross-National Comparative Communication and Deliberation about the Risks of Nanotechnologies
Nick Pidgeon - Professor of Environmental Psychology and Director, Understanding Risk Research Group - Cardiff University, Wales

Barbara Herr Harthorn - Professor of Anthropology, Director, NSF Center for Nanotechnology in Society, and group leader, NSF/EPA UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology - University of California, Santa Barbara

Terre Satterfield -Professor of Culture, Risk and the Environment and Director, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability - University of British Columbia, Canada

Christina Demski - Professor of Social & Environmental Psychology and Research Associate, Understanding Risk Research Group - Cardiff University, Wales

16. Communications about Biotechnologies and GMOs across Europe
Heinz Bonfadelli - Professor Emeritus - University of Zürich, Switzerland

17. A Tale of Two Vaccines - and their Science Communication Environments
Dan Kahan - Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology - Yale University

Asheley Landrum - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

18. A Recap: Science Communication in Action
Heather Akin - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

PART IV: THE ROLES OF ELITE INTERMEDIARIES IN COMMUNICATING SCIENCE
19. Science Communication at Scientific Institutions
Tiffany Lohwater - Director of Meetings and Public Engagement - American Association for the Advancement of Science

Martin Storksdieck - Professor and Director, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning - Oregon State University

20. The Role of Scholarly Presses and Journals
Barbara Kline Pope - Executive Director for Communications - The National Academies; Executive Director - National Academies Press

Elizabeth Marincola - Chief Executive Officer - Public Library of Science (PLOS)

21. The Role of Governmental Organizations in Communicating About Regulating Science
Jeffery Morris - National Program Director for Nanotechnology - Environmental Protection Agency

22. Science Communication and Museums' Changing Roles
Victoria Cain - Assistant Professor of History - Northeastern University

Karen Rader - Associate Professor of History - Virginia Commonwealth University

23. The Role of Funding Organizations: Foundations
Elizabeth Good Christopherson - President and Chief Executive Officer - Rita Allen Foundation

24. Promoting Popular Understanding of Science and Health through Social Networks
Brian Southwell - Director, Center for Communication Science - RTI International; Adjunct Professor (Energy Initiative) - Duke University; Research Professor (Media & Journalism) and Adjunct Associate Professor (Health Behavior) - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

25. Designing Public Deliberation at the Intersection of Science and Public Policy
John Gastil - Head and Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Political Science - Pennsylvania State University

26. Translating Science into Policy and Legislation: Evidence-informed Policy Making
Jason Gallo - Science and Technology Policy Analyst - Science and Technology Policy Institute

27. A Recap: The Role of Intermediaries in Communicating Science: A Synthesis
Asheley Landrum - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Part V: THE ROLE, POWER, AND PERIL OF MEDIA FOR THE COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE

28. The (Changing) Nature of Scientist-Media Interactions: A Cross National Analysis
Sara Yeo - Assistant Professor of Communication - University of Utah

Dominique Brossard - Professor and Chair, Department of Life Sciences Communication - University of Wisconsin-Madison

29. New Models of Knowledge-Based Journalism
Matthew Nisbet - Associate Professor of Communication Studies, and Affiliate Associate Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs - Northeastern University

Declan Fahy - Professor of Communication - Dublin City University

30. Citizens Making Sense of Science Issues: Supply and Demand Factors for Science News and Information in the Digital Age
Michael Xenos - CAPs Professor and Department Chair, Department of Communication Arts - University of Wisconsin-Madison

31. The Changing Popular Images of Science
David Kirby - Senior Lecturer in Science Communication Studies - University of Manchester, England

32. What Do We Know About the Entertainment Industry's Portrayal of Science? How Does It Affect Public Attitudes Toward Science?
James Shanahan - Professor and Dean, Media School - Indiana University

33. How Narrative Functions in Entertainment to Communicate Science
Martin Kaplan - Norman Lear Professor of Entertainment, Media and Society and Director, Norman Lear Center - University of Southern California

Michael Dahlstrom - Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication Iowa State University

34. Assumptions about Science in Satirical News and Late Night Comedy
Lauren Feldman - Associate Professor of Communication and Information - Rutgers University

35. A Recap: The Role, Power, and Peril of Media for the Communication of Science
Nan Li - Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education and Communications - Texas Tech University

Robert Lull - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Part VI: CHALLENGES IN COMMUNICATING SCIENCE IN A POLARIZED ENVIRONMENT

36. Countering False Beliefs: An Analysis of the Evidence and Recommendations of Best Practices for the Retraction and Correction of Scientific Misinformation
Man-pui Sally Chan - Postdoctoral Research Associate, Psychology - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Christopher Jones - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow (2014-16) - University of Pennsylvania

Dolores Albarracin - Professor of Psychology and Business - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

37. Using Frames to Make Scientific Communication More Effective
James Druckman - Payson S. Wild Professor of Political Science and Faculty
Fellow, Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern University

Arthur Lupia - Hal R. Varian Professor of Political Science - University of Michigan

38. Philosophical Impediments to Citizens' Use of Science
Jonathan Baron - Professor of Psychology - University of Pennsylvania.

39. Overcoming Confirmation and Blind Spot Bias When Communicating Science
Kate Kenski - Associate Professor of Communication and Government & Public Policy - University of Arizona

40. Understanding and Overcoming Selective Exposure and Judgement When Communicating About Science
Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud - Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Assistant Director of Research, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life - University of Texas at Austin

41. Overcoming Innumeracy and the Use of Heuristics When Communicating Science
Ellen Peters - Professor of Psychology and Director, Behavioral Decision Making Initiative - Ohio State University

42. Overcoming Biases in Processing of Time Series Data about Climate
Bruce Hardy - Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication - Temple University

Kathleen Hall Jamieson - Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication and Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center - University of Pennsylvania

43. Understanding and Overcoming Fear of the Unnatural in Discussion of GMOs
Robert Lull - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Dietram Scheufele - John E. Ross Professor of Science Communication and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor - University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Morgridge Institute for Research

44. Protecting or Polluting the Science Communication Environment? The Case of Childhood Vaccines
Dan Kahan - Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology - Yale University

45. Overcoming False Causal Attribution: Debunking the MMR-Autism Association
Nan Li - Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education and Communications - Texas Tech University

Talia Stroud - Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Assistant Director of Research, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life - University of Texas at Austin

Kathleen Hall Jamieson - Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication - Annenberg School for Communication and Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center - University of Pennsylvania

46. Overcoming the Challenges of Communicating Uncertainty Across National Contexts
Michael Siegrist - Professor of Consumer Behavior and Head of Institute for Environmental Decisions - ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Christina Hartmann - Professor of Consumer Behavior, Department of Health Sciences and Technology - ETH Zürich, Switzerland

47. A Recap: Heuristics, Biases, Values and Other Challenges to Communicating Science
Heather Akin - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania
Asheley Landrum - Annenberg Public Policy Center Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science of Communication - University of Pennsylvania

Conclusion: On the Horizon: The Changing Science Communication Environment
Editors - Dietram Scheufele, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, and Dan Kahan

Index

The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication

Edited by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dan Kahan, and Dietram A. Scheufele

Oxford Library of Psychology

Author Information

Kathleen Hall Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania and the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Director of its Annenberg Public Policy Center. The author of four award winning Oxford University Press books on political and press communications, she is co-founder of FactCheck.org, which researches the veracity of claims made by political players. Its SciCheck feature was launched in 2015 to expose the misuse of scientific evidence in political discourse.

Dan Kahan is the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School. He is a member of the Cultural Cognition Project, an interdisciplinary team of scholars who use empirical methods to examine the impact of group values on perceptions of risk and science communication.

Dietram A. Scheufele is the John E. Ross Professor in Science Communication and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in the Morgridge Institute for Research. His research deals with the interface of media, policy, and public opinion. Scheufele has co-chaired the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences, and vice-chaired the recent Academies' consensus report on "Communicating science effectively: A research agenda."

Contributors:

Heather Akin
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Science of Science of Communication
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Dolores Albarracin
Departments of Psychology and Business
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois, USA

David Allison
Nutrition Obesity Research Center
Office of Energetics
School of Public Health
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Jonathan Baron
Department of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Heinz Bonfadelli
Institut für Publizistikwissenschaft und Medienforschung
University of Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland

Dominique Brossard
Department of Life Sciences Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Andrew Brown
Nutrition and Obesity Research Center
Office of Energetics
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Victoria Cain
Department of History
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Man-pui Sally Chan
Department of Psychology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois, USA

Michael Dahlstrom
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa, USA

Christina Demski
Social & Environmental Psychology
Understanding Risk Research Group
Cardiff University, Wales
Cardiff, Wales

James Druckman
Department of Political Science
Institute for Policy Research
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois, USA

Declan Fahy
School of Communication
Dublin City University
Dublin, Ireland

Lauren Feldman
School of Communication and Information
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Matteo Ferrari
The Law and Technology Research Group
University of Trento, Italy
Trento, Italy

Jason Gallo
Science and Technology Policy Analyst
Science and Technology Policy Institute
Washington, DC, USA

John Gastil
Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Political Science
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, USA

Elizabeth Good Christopherson
Rita Allen Foundation
Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Annenberg School for Communication
Annenberg Public Policy Center
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

William Hallman
Department of Human Ecology
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

Bruce Hardy
Department of Media and Communication
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Christina Hartmann
Department of Health Sciences and Technology
ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland

Barbara Herr Harthorn
Department of Anthropology;
NSF Center for Nanotechnology in Society;
NSF/EPA UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California, USA

Joseph Hilgard
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Science of Science of Communication
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

John Ioannidis
School of Medicine
Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC)
Stanford University
Stanford, California, USA

Natalie (Talia) Jomini Stroud
Department of Communication Studies;
Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, USA

Christopher Jones
Annenberg Public Policy Center
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Dan Kahan
Departments of Law and Psychology
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Martin Kaplan
School for Communication and Journalism;
Norman Lear Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, USA

Kate Kenski
Department of Communication
School of Government and Policy
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona, USA

David Kirby
Science Communication Studies
University of Manchester, England
Manchester, England

Barbara Kline Pope
Communications
The National Academies;
National Academies Press
Columbia, Maryland, USA

Asheley Landrum
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Science of Science of Communication
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Bruce Lewenstein
Department of Science and Technology Studies
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, USA

Nan Li
Department of Agricultural Education and Communications
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas, USA

Tiffany Lohwater
Meetings and Public Engagement
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Washington, DC, USA

Robert Lull
Annenberg Public Policy Center
Science of Science of Communication
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Arthur Lupia
Department of Political Science
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Adam Marcus
Retraction Watch;
Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News and Anesthesiology News
New York, New York, USA

Elizabeth Marincola
Public Library of Science (PLOS)
San Francisco, California, USA

Tapan Mehta
Department of Health Care Management
Nutrition Obesity Research Center
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Jeffery Morris
Nanotechnology
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC, USA

Matthew Nisbet
Departments of Communication Studies and Public Policy and Urban Affairs
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Ivan Oransky
Retraction Watch;
MedPage Today
New York, New York, USA

Ellen Peters
Department of Psychology
Behavioral Decision Making Initiative
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio, USA

Nick Pidgeon
Department of Environmental Psychology
Understanding Risk Research Group
Cardiff University, Wales
Cardiff, Wales

Karen Rader
Department of History
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia, USA

Terre Satterfield
Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
University of British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Mike S. Schäfer
Department of Science Communication
University of Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland

Dietram Scheufele
Department of Life Sciences Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Morgridge Institute for Research
Madison, Wisconsin, USA

James Shanahan
Media School
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana, USA

Michael Siegrist
Department of Health Sciences and Technology
Institute for Environmental Decisions
ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland

Brian Southwell
Center for Communication Science
RTI International
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA;
Duke University Energy Initiative
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, USA;
School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Gillings School of Public Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Martin Storksdieck
Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon, USA

Peter Weingart
Center for Interdisciplinary Research
University of Bielefeld, Germany
Bielefeld, Germany

Michael Xenos
Department of Communication Arts
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Sara Yeo
Department of Communication
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication

Edited by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dan Kahan, and Dietram A. Scheufele

Oxford Library of Psychology

Reviews and Awards

"This handbook poses a fundamental question about psychology: Where does psychology fit within interdisciplinary research today? Science communication is not a field that has previously come under the umbrella of psychology, but the material in this book, and the way it is presented, will be of interest to a broad range of psychologists." -- Phil Loring, The Psychologist

"The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication is a comprehensive and much-needed resource for anyone concerned with the faithful and effective communication of science. It ably accomplishes the difficult feat of portraying the current state of understanding on this very broad topic while simultaneously presenting concise recommendations for future scholarship and practice. Perhaps most importantly, the Handbook should put to rest the notion that there is insufficient knowledge available to improve efforts to engage the many 'publics' on scientific topics." --Jonathan F. Fanton, President, American Academy of Arts & Sciences

"Familiarity with the discoveries, norms, and ways of knowing of science should not be limited to scientists. By applying the scientific method itself to scientific communication, Jamieson, Kahan, and Scheufele improve the effectiveness with which researchers disseminate their findings and demystify science for broad audiences." --Marcia K. McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences

"The volume advances an understanding of the public as capable of recognising appropriate expertise, proficient at making the mental shortcuts that are necessary in a media-saturated world, aware of the need to consider wider cultural values in reaching decisions on science-relevant issues and overwhelmingly supportive of science and accepting of science-based advice. Many of the chapters show how controversies around public policy tend not to be reducible to matters of science and note that scientists also rely on heuristics, not just logical deliberation, when making decisions." --Public Understanding of Science Blog

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