Center for Health and Risk Communication

 

Amy E. Chadwick “Communication about Global Climate Change: Effect of Evidence Forms on Comprehension and Persuasion.” contact her at: aec186@psu.edu

National Science Foundation recently awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship

 

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship to Amy E. Chadwick for her research proposal entitled “Communication about Global Climate Change: Effect of Evidence Forms on Comprehension and Persuasion.” The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based degree. The fellowship provides a stipend and educational allowance for each 12-month tenure period, a one-time International Research travel allowance, and computer time at one of the NSF-supported Supercomputer Centers. NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.

In a time when environmental issues such as climate change are rapidly becoming some of the most pressing issues of the twenty-first century, Ms. Chadwick’s research seeks to answer the questions: does the evidence form (e.g., statistics, narratives, metaphors, emotional appeals, images, and graphics) used to present human-environment interactions related to climate change affect lay audience (a) comprehension of climate change, (b) comprehension of the risks associated with climate change, (c) perceptions of persuasiveness, and (d) likelihood of attitude, belief, and behavior change?