Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Naturalistic Observations02:30

Naturalistic Observations

17.8K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
17.8K
Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

8.3K
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
8.3K
The Availability Heuristic01:08

The Availability Heuristic

7.1K
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):
7.1K
Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

13.9K
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
13.9K
Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

29.2K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
29.2K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

27.4K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
27.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Meta-analyses on charitable giving clarify evidence for empathic and effective altruism.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Youth, personality and collective victimhood distinguish support for radical climate action.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Data from Message Source Effects on Rejection and Costly Punishment of Criticism Across Cultures.

Journal of open psychology data·2025
Same author

Social Norms and Charitable Giving: A Meta-Analytic Review.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2025
Same author

Social and cognitive factors shaping conspiracy theorizing across the life course.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2025
Same author

The Replication Database: Documenting the Replicability of Psychological Science.

Journal of open psychology data·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans
08:14

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

848

Navigating the credibility risks of environmental scientists' activism.

J Lukas Thürmer1,2,3, Jeremias Braid4, Sean M McCrea5

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. lukas.thuermer@plus.ac.at.

Communications Psychology
|February 21, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Environmental scientists engaging in activism may face negative perceptions. Studies show activism can slightly reduce perceived competence and increase perceived hypocrisy, impacting public trust in science.

More Related Videos

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger
05:50

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger

Published on: January 16, 2020

6.3K
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Tolerance of Cabbage Butterflies to Urban Pollutants
08:08

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Tolerance of Cabbage Butterflies to Urban Pollutants

Published on: August 18, 2023

5.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans
08:14

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

848
Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger
05:50

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger

Published on: January 16, 2020

6.3K
Author Spotlight: Investigating the Tolerance of Cabbage Butterflies to Urban Pollutants
08:08

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Tolerance of Cabbage Butterflies to Urban Pollutants

Published on: August 18, 2023

5.9K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental science
  • Climate science
  • Science communication

Background:

  • The debate on whether environmental scientists should engage in activism is ongoing.
  • Potential benefits of activism may be offset by negative impacts on public perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the consequences of environmental scientists engaging in activism.
  • To assess the impact of activism on public perception of scientists' competence, hypocrisy, and persuasiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies were conducted using participant evaluations of fictional climate scientist profiles.
  • Participants rated scientists described as activists versus non-activists.
  • Study 1 involved conventional activism; Study 2 involved civil disobedience.

Main Results:

  • Scientists engaging in conventional activism were perceived as slightly less competent and more hypocritical.
  • Civil disobedience activism led to perceptions of lower competence and higher hypocrisy.
  • Activism negatively impacted perceptions of scientists and trust in their field.

Conclusions:

  • Engaging in activism incurs small but consistent costs for environmental scientists.
  • Activism can undermine public perception of scientists' competence and trustworthiness.
  • The findings suggest a trade-off between activism and public perception for scientists.