Communication Issues at the American Psychological Convention: Dr. Irina Feygina and Climate Change Information

I recently returned from the American Psychological Convention, where I appeared on a panel with my spouse, Dr. Elaine Clanton Harpine. I'll give various impressions about the convention over the next few days.

Researchers in persuasive communication have long understood that audiences often reject uncomfortable claims that conflict with their prior beliefs. At the APA Convention, Dr. Irina Feygina of New York University made an important presentation about making climate change relevant to the public. Examining public reactions to messages about climate change, she emphasized how motivated reasoning affects people's evaluation of climate change messages. Although people often reason and communicate in ways that bolster the present system, the status quo is, unfortunately, harmful to the environment. Her research program finds that some people have a psychological tendency to bolster their beliefs in the status quo, a tendency that, unfortunately, is correlated with resistance to climate change information.

Working with the concept of "system justification," her research program yields many insights that would greatly help us communication scholars deepen our understanding of persuasive communication. In particular, her work could be generalized to help us understand better why and how audiences may reject well-supported information. Our communication research can, of course, get stuck in a rut, and new ideas like Feygina's can help to push us out. As a professor of communication, I do, of course, wish that Feygina were citing more research from communication journals. (Yes, sorry, I needed to say that). There is communication research to help us understand how politically-motivated mass-media communication  message can insulate people from critical thinking. For example, Michael Pfau et al.'s widely cited study about "The role and impact of affect in the process of resistance to persuasion" seems to offer insight into a similar theoretical point from a different perspective. Since most climate change information passes through the mass media, communication issues are surely a factor.

Feygina's presentation did, by the way, impress me in my role as a speech teacher: she spoke extemporaneously, clearly, and persuasively.

In general, I have now attended several APA conventions (alas, 2016 looks to be the last), and the cross-fertilization of ideas stimulates me every time. I certainly learned things from Feygina that I can incorporate into my own teaching and research.