Inhaltszusammenfassung

Visitors to modern science museums are likely to encounter exhibitions presenting conflicting information, such risks and benefits of new scientific developments. Such exhibitions encourage visitors to reflect upon different sides of a story and form or adjust their attitudes towards the topic on display. However, there is very little evidence of museum visits influencing visitors’ attitudes. Using a risk–benefit museum text, we set out to explore this blind spot of attitude change in a scien...Visitors to modern science museums are likely to encounter exhibitions presenting conflicting information, such risks and benefits of new scientific developments. Such exhibitions encourage visitors to reflect upon different sides of a story and form or adjust their attitudes towards the topic on display. However, there is very little evidence of museum visits influencing visitors’ attitudes. Using a risk–benefit museum text, we set out to explore this blind spot of attitude change in a science museum, with written and auditory text as information conditions. The results show a small average change in visitors’ (N = 225) overall attitude and attitudinal certainty after information. Results found regarding differences between the two information conditions were not found when directly comparing the two conditions and are therefore inconclusive. Results further suggest differences in overall attitude between visitors with higher versus lower prior knowledge and higher prior attitudinal certainty. Finally, results indicate visitors who don’t change their attitudes show stronger initial attitudes than those who do in terms of higher attitudinal certainty and lower ambivalence before information. Overall, our findings suggest that risk–benefit information can influence different aspects of visitors’ attitudes and that even a single text can elicit a change. » weiterlesen» einklappen

Autoren

Klassifikation

DFG Fachgebiet:
Psychologie

DDC Sachgruppe:
Psychologie