Module: Communication, Decision Making, Behavioral Change, and Skeptics
Summary
![[creative commons]](/images/creativecommons_16.png)
Elke Weber, Professor of International Business in the Columbia Business School and Director of the Center for Research on Environmental Decision Making, facilitates a discussion of the assigned readings on communication, decision-making, and behavioral change. Particular attention will be paid to the climate change skeptics and the psychology behind their skepticism (despite all the scientific evidence to the contrary). At the end of class, students will be asked to provide feedback on the class; what aspects of the experimental course most positively, and negatively, impacted their learning.
Learning Goals
In this lesson, students will:
- Engage in an interactive discussion of and around the topic of climate change skepticism
- Understand (or begin to) why individuals are motivated to disbelieve in climate change
- Discuss the impact the format of the experimental course had on their learning
Context for Use
Description and Teaching Materials
See lesson plan (LP) >>
Communication, Decision Making, Behavioral Change, and Skeptics
Lesson plan for discussion/lecture class
CommunicationDecisionMaking.doc (Microsoft Word 86kB Dec7 15)
The Psychology of Climage Change Communication
Reading for class
CREDguide_full-res.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 3.7MB Dec7 15)
6 Americas
Reading for class
6americas.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 1015kB Dec7 15)
Skeptic Paper
Reading for class
DBCCAColumbiaSkepticPaper090710.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 355kB Dec7 15)
Teaching Notes and Tips
Assessment
All Students Read >>
- The 6 Americas http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/pdf/6americas.pdf (broken link) (29 pages - mostly figures)
- Climate Skeptics http://www.dbcca.com/dbcca/EN/_media/DBCCAColumbiaSkepticPaper090710.pdf (Executive summary only
Blogs >> (Read both posts and responses)
- http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/10/28/who-said-what-answering-ross-mckitrick%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cresponse-to-misinformation-from-deutsche-bank%E2%80%9D/
- http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/10/29/who-said-what-answering-ross-mckitrick%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cresponse-to-misinformation-from-deutsche-bank%E2%80%9D-part-ii/
Optional Reading >>
- The role of social and decision sciences in communicating uncertain climate risks http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v1/n1/full/nclimate1080.html
- Why are Americans so ill? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-are-americans-so-ill/
References and Resources
See Lesson Plan
Citation
Callahan, P. (2012). Module: Communication, Decision Making, Behavioral Change, and Skeptics.