IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v175y2022i3d10.1007_s10584-022-03471-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Changing how you look at climate change: attention bias modification increases attention to climate change

Author

Listed:
  • Joshua M. Carlson

    (Northern Michigan University)

  • Madeline Voltz

    (Northern Michigan University)

  • John Foley

    (Northern Michigan University)

  • Lisa Gentry

    (Northern Michigan University)

  • Lin Fang

    (Northern Michigan University)

Abstract

Mitigating the negative impacts of anthropogenic climate change is among the most serious and pressing challenges facing the global community. Despite the severity of the issue, there seems to be a lack of attention paid to climate change in our daily lives. Yet, climate change-related information can capture observers’ attention, and when attention is drawn to a particular environmental risk, the perceived severity of this attended risk is enhanced. The question then is whether attention to climate change-related information can be modified or enhanced. Here, we report the results of two experiments using single-session attention bias modification training procedures designed to increase attentional focus on climate change-related information. In Experiment 1, attention training to emotionally positive images of climate change (e.g., potential solutions such as windmills and solar panels) increased attention to these images, but not emotionally negative images of climate change (e.g., air pollution, natural disasters, and melting ice). In Experiment 2, this effect was replicated. In addition, Experiment 2 revealed that training to emotionally negative images of climate change increased attention to negative images of climate change, and there was a trend for this enhanced attention to generalize to positive images of climate change. Furthermore, attention training towards negative images of climate change enhanced self-reported levels of concern about climate change. Collectively, our results suggest that attention training can increase the allocation of attention to climate change-related information and, under certain training conditions, concern for climate change increases.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua M. Carlson & Madeline Voltz & John Foley & Lisa Gentry & Lin Fang, 2022. "Changing how you look at climate change: attention bias modification increases attention to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:175:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-022-03471-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-022-03471-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-022-03471-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-022-03471-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melvyn Weibin Zhang & Jiang Bo Ying & Guo Song & Daniel S. S. Fung & Helen E. Smith, 2018. "Recent Advances in Attention Bias Modification for Substance Addictions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-8, April.
    2. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/61ih2qtadc8g1894enmudd2f09 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Alexandre Heeren & Camille Mouguiama-Daouda & Alba Contreras, 2022. "On climate anxiety and the threat it may pose to daily life functioning and adaptation: a study among European and African French-speaking participants," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Jennifer C. Whitman & Jiaying Zhao & Kevin H. Roberts & Rebecca M. Todd, 2018. "Political orientation and climate concern shape visual attention to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 383-394, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Melvyn W. B. Zhang & Helen E. Smith, 2020. "Challenges When Evaluating Cognitive Bias Modification Interventions for Substance Use Disorder," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-7, October.
    2. Nicu Gavriluță & Lucian Mocrei-Rebrean, 2023. "Climate Change as Liminal Experience—The Psychosocial Relevance of a Phenomenological Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, March.
    3. J. Nicolás I. Martínez-López & María-Elena Medina-Mora & Rebeca Robles-García & Eduardo Madrigal & Francisco Juárez & Carlos-Alfonso Tovilla-Zarate & Cosette Reyes & Nadja Monroy & Ana Fresán, 2019. "Psychopathic Disorder Subtypes Based on Temperament and Character Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-10, November.
    4. Zhang Melvyn & Aloysius Chow & Ranganath Vallabhajosyula & Daniel SS Fung, 2020. "Emotional Bias Modification in Youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): New Research Vista," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-7, June.
    5. Panu Pihkala, 2022. "The Process of Eco-Anxiety and Ecological Grief: A Narrative Review and a New Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-53, December.
    6. Susan D. Clayton & Panu Pihkala & Britt Wray & Elizabeth Marks, 2023. "Psychological and Emotional Responses to Climate Change among Young People Worldwide: Differences Associated with Gender, Age, and Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Göral, Elif & Hannum, Christopher M., 2024. "The effect of moral framing on attitudes towards offshore wind farms in Turkey," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    8. María Luisa Vecina & María Alonso-Ferres & Laura López-García & Cintia Díaz-Silveira, 2024. "Eco-Anxiety and Trust in Science in Spain: Two Paths to Connect Climate Change Perceptions and General Willingness for Environmental Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:175:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-022-03471-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.