Can a debate about the relative merits of one cell phone over another lead to true learning and understanding? When can motivated reasoning and the workings of cognitive dissonance be overcome with issues people are committed to? Is limiting the goals to minor concessions and information a way to overcome natural biases and can these be used to better political discussion?
The chief medical officer from Wales recommends teens text rather than talk on their cell phones, despite other concerns about the problems of texting. Because new research suggests that efforts to correct misperceptions often backfire based on political ideology, journalists have to be very careful suggesting correlations exist as it may be hard to dissuade people of their beliefs if new evidence comes to light.
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We’ve all heard the saying that “crisis” means “opportunity” and “danger.” But when thinking about the Gulf oil disaster, many remain puzzled as to why this crisis has not produced the type of sustained public outrage that other environmental disasters have. Bad timing plays a key role in explaining the lack of public response, but it is also important to consider who is being asked and what they are being asked about to figure out people’s response to the disaster.
I came across this article in The New York Times during my daily news browsing, which claims to “[offer] a handy clip-’n’-save guide to the social networking services you’re most likely to hear about at this summer’s barbecues”. While people who are following me on this blog may not find it very helpful, it was …
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