Dynamic Interaction of Analytic and Intuitive Information Processing Systems

Transcription

1 NCA s Monthly Teleconference Series CARD Calls: Communicating About Research and Professional Development Dynamic Interaction of Analytic and Intuitive Information Processing Systems Featured Speaker: Professor Charles Berger Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Communication University of California, Davis & NCA Distinguished Scholar Moderator: Dr. Nancy Kidd, Associate Director for Research Initiatives National Communication Association Monday, November 10, :00pm Eastern time

2 CONSEQUENCES OF EXCESSIVE PUBLIC FEAR Cultivation of Erroneous Beliefs Reduced Achievement Standards Ceding Power to the Government Reduced Innovativeness and Risk Taking 1

3 Intuitive/Experiential System Characteristics Pre-Conscious Fast Emotional Processes information holistically in terms of images, stimulus generalizations, metaphors and narratives. Effortless Minimally demanding of cognitive resources 2

4 Rational/Analytic System Characteristics Conscious Slow Affect Free Processes information according to the rules of logical inference Effortful Maximally demanding of cognitive resources 3

5 News Stories about Threats and Hazards Tend to be anecdotal rather than statistical Tend to be unrepresentative Tend to be Emotional Seem ripe for Intuitive-Heuristic Processing Capitalize on Tendency to Generalize from particulars 4

6 Probative Value α The degree to which individuals judge anecdotes to be reliable indicators of a phenomenon s prevalence. β Not the same as perceived reality. A story could be judged to be factually accurate but also be judged to lack probative value. 5

7 Campus Theft at UC Davis Last week, UC Davis junior Jamie McEwen went to the Memorial Union on the UCD campus during a break between classes, as many other UCD students do every day. Jamie was carrying a new, $2,500 Dell laptop computer in a backpack. The Memorial Union s eating areas were crowded with students. Unfortunately, Jamie left the backpack unattended on a table for just a few minutes while purchasing coffee at the union s coffee shop and bakery. When Jamie returned to the table, the backpack was still there, but it was open and the new laptop gone. The uninsured computer contained two, just-completed term papers and class notes for which Jamie had no back-up files. During an interview, Jamie s chokedup voice and pained facial expressions expressed intense disgust, anger and sadness over the loss of the new laptop. The following items refer to the campus theft story you just read. Please place an X in the space (: X :) that best represents your feeling. Please complete all of the following items. How reasonable is it to generalize from the campus theft story to the overall theft situation on the UC Davis campus? Extremely Extremely Unreasonable : : : : : : : : : : Reasonable How much do you think readers should rely on the campus theft story as a way of knowing how widespread theft is on the UC Davis campus? Don t Rely Rely At All : : : : : : : : : : Completely How reliable is the campus theft story as an indicator of the size of the theft problem at UC Davis? Extremely Extremely Unreliable : : : : : : : : : : Reliable To what degree does the campus theft story provide an accurate estimate of the scope of the theft problem on the UC Davis campus? Extremely Extremely Inaccurate : : : : : : : : : : Accurate 6

8 Probative Value: Correlational Findings Individuals who judge the probative value of anecdotal news stories to be low also tend to: 1. report lower levels of fear in response to the stories. 2. judge the problem depicted in the story to be less serious. 3. estimate lower levels of victimization risk. Correlations between probative value and the cognitive judgments (r = ) are larger than those observed for the affectively-oriented fear judgments (r = ). Individuals who are skilled at and favor rational/analytic thinking tend to judge the probative value of anecdotal news stories to be lower than do those who are less analytically inclined; however, measures of intuitive skill do not correlate with probative value judgments. 7

9 Priming the Two Systems NEGATIVE EMOTION COMPOSIT PROBLEM SERIOUSNESS RATIONAL EXPERIENTIAL CONTROL PRIMING CONDITION 5.4 RATIONAL EXPERIENTIAL CONTROL PRIMING CONDITION VICTIMIZATION RISK RATIONAL EXPERIENTIAL CONTROL RATIONAL -0.2 PRIMING CONDITION 8

10 Analytic Intuition and Intuitive Rationality Recent studies suggest that among individuals who list the emotions story victims experience after reading threatening anecdotes, those who are primed analytically before reading the story express more extreme negative emotions (fear, anger and sadness) in response to the story than do those not primed analytically before reading the anecdote. Being analytic may involve both an orienting response (pay attention) and conscious analysis. Individuals can be analytic about affect and emotional about logical reasoning, suggesting that the two systems can intermodulate each other and not simply run off in parallel to be integrated by a third system. 9

11 Implications for Reducing Unwarranted Fear α Train People to be Adept at Logical Reasoning β Teach People Useful Heuristics One case does not make a trend Anecdotal news stories generally feature statistical rarities Avoid snap judgments γ Understand the Importance of Base Rates in Quantitative Trends 10

12 CARD Calls Registration Form for NCA Members To register for one or more of the teleconferences, please fill out this form and return it to Melissa Anderson via or fax (202) Please note that the registration deadline for each teleconference is 72 hours prior to the start of the teleconference. However, there will be a registration limit of 100 phone lines (more than one person can be participating from a single phone line), so please register for the teleconferences that interest you as soon as possible to ensure that you get spots. You will receive a registration confirmation within 48 hours of submitting this form. Slides for the presentation and dial-in information will be sent to all registered teleconference participants 48 hours before the teleconference. Name: Affiliation: Address: Phone Number: Registration for: (please X all teleconferences for which you would like to be registered) Seeking Grants Effectively featuring Brian Humes, Program Director, Political Science, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation; Susan Morgan, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Purdue University; and J. Michael Sproule, Emeritus Professor of Communication Studies, San Jose State University Thursday, December 11, :00pm Eastern Rhetoric and Public Address as Education for Citizenship Michael Hogan, Professor, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Co-Director, Center for Democratic Deliberation, Pennsylvania State University & NCA Distinguished Scholar Friday, January 9, :00pm Eastern Communication in the National Research Council Doctoral Education Survey featuring Edward Fink, Professor of Communication, University of Maryland; Linda Putnam, Professor, Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara Monday, February 9, :00pm Eastern Free Speech Absolutism: A Defense James Aune, Professor, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University & NCA Distinguished Scholar Thursday, March 12, :00pm Eastern Assessing Student Learning in an Undergraduate Communication Program featuring Wendy Morgaine, Instructor, Child and Family Studies, Portland State University; Terrel L. Rhodes, Vice President, Office of Quality, Curriculum and Assessment, Association of American Colleges and Universities; and Helen Tate, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Communication and Theatre, Columbia College Friday, April 17, :00pm Eastern TBD- Research Presentation Monday, May 18, :00pm Eastern time Current Trends in Master s Education for Communication featuring James Cherney, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, Miami University; Dan Cronn- Mills, Professor and Chair, Speech Communication Department, Minnesota State University, Mankato; and Kendall Phillips, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University Thursday, June 11, :00pm Eastern If you have any questions about the teleconference series, please contact Nancy Kidd at nkidd@natcom.org or (202) x

13 Resources for National Communication Association Members Current RFP Tracker The Current RFP Tracker identifies funding opportunities (including research grants, residential fellowships, travel funds, awards, etc.) for communication scholars. To access the Tracker, please go to: Questions? Contact Associate Director for Research Initiatives Nancy Kidd, NCA, List of Higher Education Communication Programs The List of Higher Education Communication Programs includes detailed information about approximately 400 institutions and the various degree programs they offer ranging from Associates Degrees to Ph.D.s. This is a living document with information being updated on a routine basis. Questions? Contact Coordinator for Research and Educational Initiatives Melissa Anderson, NCA, manderson@natcom.org Lambda Pi Eta Online Career Resource Center This online career resource center is available specifically for Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) honor society members. It was developed in conjunction with Experience, an online career resource center for honor societies. LPH members can register at: Questions? Contact Associate Director for Educational Initiatives Brad Mello, NCA, bmello@natcom.org Communication Currents Communication Currents is an online web magazine of the National Communication Association. The site is designed to translate current communication scholarship published in scholarly journals of the National Communication Association. Questions? Contact Editor Joann Keyton, North Carolina State University, jkeyton@ncsu.edu Journal of International and Intercultural Communication The Journal of International and Intercultural Communication publishes scholarship for an international readership on international and intercultural communication from a range of theoretical, conceptual and methodological perspectives. The journal features leading edge inquiry that cuts across academic boundaries to focus on international, intercultural, as well as indigenous communication issues. Questions? Contact Editor Tom Nakayama, Northeastern University, T.Nakayama@neu.edu 12

14 November 10, 2008 Conference Call: Dial-In Information Dial the Access Number: When prompted, enter the Participant Code followed by # Your Participant Code is # Participant Star Commands *4- Volume: Pressing *4 will increase/decrease the volume Q &A Session: Participants press *1 to ask a question, and the moderator will take your questions in the order that they arrive For technical assistance during the teleconference, contact Customer Service at