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Using Psychology to Effect Social Change:
The science and art of framing issues
American Psychological Association #PILC15November 16, 2015
The trouble with standard stories
Standard stories are those in which all that happens is the result of the characters’ actions. This does not align
well with social life - where causal forces tend to be incremental, indirect, interactive, unintended, collective
and environmentally mediated! Tilly, Charles (2002).“Stories, Identities and Political Change”
Case Study: Designated DriverWas it effective?
Research says:
$1.3 billion in donated media since 1983
0%
100%
25%
80%84%Recalled hearing/seeing a PSAStopped a friend from driving drunkStopped themselves from driving drunk
But...
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
31%
What percent of all traffic fatalities
are caused by alcohol-impaired drivers?
These drivers were 8x more likely to have a prior OUI
(2013)
Today? 1 alcohol-impaired fatality
every 52 minutes
data from: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812102.pdf
What reduces alcohol-impaired driving?
Ditter S, Elder RW, Shults RA, Sleet DA, Compton R, Nichols JL, Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Effectiveness of designated driver programs for reducing alcohol–impaired driving: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med 2005;28(5S):280–7.
DD Programs
✓ Ignition interlocks✓ Roadside sobriety checkpoints✓ Enforcement of MLDA ✓ Enforcement of zero tolerance laws for
detectable BAC for drivers under 21
X
and now?
• These strategies often obscure the public and structural dimensions of social problems, and so fail to:• improve understanding of the causes,
consequences and solutions to social problems
• build support for public solutions
Why is that?
product marketing
specific behavior change
And…the influence of social psychology research on persuasion
i.e., Fishbein & Ajzen
specific behavior change
(e.g., health and nutrition)
Social changeNationalRegional
StateLocal
Individual
Solutions}
So what did I learn? We need to reconsider traditional
communication approaches to social problems
Typical tools: More effective tools:
compelling ideas
compelling design
principles of social
cognition
evidence base from science
communication research
well-framed, intentional
communication
Communicating for social change
How does thinking work?
.
Our thinking is guided by cognitive frameworks called schema - preconceived ideas, assumptions, beliefs - that help us organize information.
The role of cultural cognition
We have “cultural schema” - culturally mediated patterns of reasoning - about poverty, welfare, gender, government, taxes, health, etc.see D’Andrade, Roy G. (1989). Cultural Cognition. In M.I. Posner (ed.) Foundations of Cognitive Science, pp. 795-830. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
The cultural narratives that tend to hijack frames about social problems
America is a land of opportunity, andindividual responsibility is all that is
needed to succeed
There are inequalities because of choices, habits and lifestyles
Government is the problem, not a problem solver
And the news media reinforce certain narratives…at the expense of others
One more problem: Most people aren’t thinking about social issues. They’re
thinking about…
But you’re psychologists. You know it’s even more complicated than
that!
Reminder 1: We’re “cognitive misers,” and use schemas, heuristics, etc. as a RULE
“Cognitive Misers” coined by Fiske and Taylor (1984)
Reminder 2: We’re motivated reasoners
“identity protective cognition”
What about Dual Processing Theory?
System 1 = “fast”unconscious, intuitive, associative
System 2 - “slow”conscious, effortful, deliberative
Is science communication just about improving science
comprehension?
Dan Kahan’s work at:
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U.S.generalpopulationsurvey,N=1,500.KnowledgeNetworks,Feb.2010.Scale0(“noriskatall”)to10(“extremerisk”),M=5.7,SD=3.4.CIsreflect0.95levelofconfidence.
“Howmuchriskdoyoubelieveclimatechangeposestohumanhealth,safety,orprosperity?”
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Science Comprehension Deficit Theory would predict?
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“Howmuchriskdoyoubelieveclimatechangeposestohumanhealth,safety,orprosperity?”
U.S.generalpopulationsurvey,N=1,500.KnowledgeNetworks,Feb.2010.Scale0(“noriskatall”)to10(“extremerisk”),M=5.7,SD=3.4.CIsreflect0.95levelofconfidence.
SCDprediction
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egalitarian communitarian
MARY DOUGLAS & AARON WILDAVSKY, RISK AND CULTURE (1982) via Kahan, Dan M., "Cultural Cognition and Public Policy." (2006). Faculty Scholarship Series. Paper 103. h p://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/103
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U.S.generalpopulationsurvey,N=1,500.KnowledgeNetworks,Feb.2010.Scale0(“noriskatall”)to10(“extremerisk”),M=5.7,SD=3.4.ConvertedtoZ-scores.CIsreflect0.95levelofconfidence.
Actualinteractionofculture&scienceliteracy/numeracy?
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EgalitarianCommunitarians
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Scienceliteracy/numeracyscalelow high
POLARIZATIONINCREASES
So, what do we know?
1. Mental shortcuts, heuristics and biases characterize thinking2. Cultural narratives are very accessible - particularly for those repeated in public discourse3. For culturally or politically charged issues, we are likely to engage in identity protective cognition…
Fortunately, there is a science of communication
“Frames are interpretive storylines that set a specific train of thought in motion, communicating
why an issue might be a problem, who or what might be responsible for it, and what should be
done about it.”
Matthew Nisbet, Assoc Professor of Communication, Northeastern
Frames help us interpret:WHY does this matter?
WHAT is the problem or challenge? HOW is it solved? and
WHO can solve it?
Effective social issue frames answer:
Why should we care?...by appealing to values that structure meaning
What’s the problem and how do we solve it and who can play a role in solving it?
...by telling a causal story that connects the dots from problem, to consequences and solutions. Metaphors and analogies help!
What is a Value?
A value is a general claim about desirable social and personal conditions such as equality, freedom, interdependence. Rokeach, M. (1973) The nature of human values. New York: The Free Press
Values tend to be stable, long-term goals that orient attitudes and behavior. Nelson, T.E. and Willey, E. A. (2003). Issue Frames That Strike a Value Balance: A Political Psychology Perspective. In S. Reese, O. Gandy, Jr. and A. Grant (Eds.) Framing Public Life (pp.245-266). NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
How Can Anchoring our Frames in Values Help?
The values frame is far too uncommon in issue framing, but when it occurs, it is
“powerful and efficient in shaping audience reasoning processes, as values provide individuals with easily accessible heuristics that guide the understanding of complex policy issues without recourse to detailed information” (Lee, McLeod, & Shah, 2008, p. 701).
Are there values that align w all dimensions?
Yes!
Research By Frameworks Institute, Topos Partnership, the Opportunity Agenda, Westen Strategies and Lake Research Partners, and others!
Ingenuity
Are there values that align w all dimensions?
Responsible Management
Stewardship
Future ProsperityFuture Prosperity
Future ProsperityFuture Prosperity
Ingenuity
Ingenuity Ingenuity
Responsible Management
Responsible ManagementResponsible Management
Stewardship
Stewardship Stewardship
Equal OpportunityEqual Opportunity
Equal OpportunityEqual Opportunity
Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind
Reframing with values:
Before:
Energy issues are important to our economy now and into the futureWith a values frame:Vermont people want to leave their children and grandchildren a world that is as healthy and sound as the one they inherited. That means addressing energy challenges... value =
stewardship
What are causal stories?
Causal stories begin with a clear problem definition,Explain the consequences of the problem, andArticulate solutions
Causal Stories help fix some big problems in expert communications
Namely, untranslated expertise,including jargon
and overly technical language
Reframing with causal stories
Before:
Inexperience not only puts young drivers at risk, it also puts their passengers and others on the road at risk.
Problem and consequences reframed:
When learning any new skill, the more experience you gain under supervision, the more effective you become. GDL provides young drivers with practical experience under supervision, improving their ability to manage risks, and making our roads safer for all drivers
One other caution for science communicators
Attribution of ResponsibilityShanto Iyengar, “Is Anyone Responsible?”
Thematic stories
‣Are about issues
‣Use a wide-angle lens that shows context
‣Explain patterns and trends
Episodic stories
‣About individual cases or specific events
‣Use a telephoto lens on subject(s)
‣Just the facts
Episodic = e.g., a personal story about a client who struggles with addiction, even a success story
Thematic = e.g., a story about how addiction happens (the interaction of genes + environment!), and interventions that work
Why are these strategies a problem?
“Personal attributions are the default or automatic inference people make for the causes of others’ behavior, and these inferences are only corrected when people have sufficient cognitive resources and motivation to do so…” p. 485.
Skitka, L.J., Mullen, E., Griffin, T., Hutchison, S., & Chamberlin, B. (2002). Dispositions, scripts, or motivated correction? Understanding ideological differences in explanations for social problems.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 470-487.
Therefore
Example of reframing from the field!
Before:
The Deep Impact of Concentrated Poverty. Children growing up in very low-income families have a higher risk of poor academic achievement, negative behavioral outcomes and physical health problems, all of which can have major impacts on their later-life outcomes and on their ability to emerge out of poverty. Neighborhoods of concentrated poverty further compound these negative outcomes, as they isolate poorer families from opportunities for advancement. Children in high-poverty neighborhoods tend to go to schools where nearly all students are poor and are at greater risk of failure. As a result, the cycle of poverty often persists among youth growing up in low-income families in high poverty neighborhoods.
Reframed:
Expanding the Geography of Opportunity. When all New Yorkers have equal opportunity to achieve the American dream, there are tangible social and economic benefits for us all.
The reality, however, is that geography often plays a major role in determining one’s opportunity for health, well-being and future success. In the Brooklyn and Bronx neighborhoods, where Good Shepherd Services (GSS) programs are concentrated, children and families are disconnected from resources and opportunities that are available to those in higher income neighborhoods. Through a network of strategically located youth and family development and educational support programs, GSS seeks to address these structural disparities and expand the geography of opportunity.
diversitydatakids.org
