Managing our debt: Changing Context Reduces Misunderstanding of Global Warming
نویسندگان
چکیده
We report an experiment in which a change in the context of a stock-flow reasoning problem leads to a 44% reduction in the use of an erroneous ‘correlation heuristic’ response. In its original context – a global warming scenario – the majority of participants pattern-match the output of a system to its inputs (i.e., use a correlation heuristic). In the changed context – financial debt management – the majority reason correctly that in-flows and out-flows must converge to stabilize stock. Potential applications for improving communication of climate change science are discussed.
منابع مشابه
Third-world debt and tropical deforestation
The deforestation and degradation of tropical forests are taking place at an extremely rapid pace. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the estimated annual rate of tropical deforestation during the 1981-1985 period was 113 846 square kilometers or 0.6% of the 1981 total forested area. The implications of the loss of these forests are staggering (Myers, N., 1989. Deforestat...
متن کاملQuantification and assessment of effective of global warming on the occurrence of heat and cold waves in some selected stations in Iran
One of the atmospheric hazards that seriously affect human life and health is the occurrence of thermal tensions and stress in the form of heat and cold waves. Iran is one of the areas of the planet that has climate variability due to its geographical characteristics; therefore, consequently, its different regions are not immune to heat and cold waves. On the other hand, Iran's climate variabil...
متن کاملThe effect of sand mulch on runoff and erosion control of the catchment surface
Due to population growth, global warming, changing precipitation patterns, and decreasing precipitation, water and soil are two of the most important human issues. Water and soil resources management in arid and semi-arid regions is one of the methods that can solve water and soil issues. Covering the soil surface with permeable natural materials can reduce water and wind erosion and evaporatio...
متن کاملRemembrance of Things Past: Greenhouse Lessons from the Geologic Record
Global climate--like local weather--is ever changing, on all time scales, in response to natural variations. For this reason, projections of global warming, resulting from increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, need to be set in the context of what has happened in the past. A knowledge of what has changed, and when and where, provides insights into why past changes have occurred. Su...
متن کاملThe financial aspect of managing technical debt: A systematic literature review
Context: Technical debt is a software engineering metaphor, referring to the eventual financial consequences of trade-offs between shrinking product time to market and poorly specifying, or implementing a software product, throughout all development phases. Based on its inter-disciplinary nature, i.e. software engineering and economics, research on managing technical debt should be balanced bet...
متن کامل