200187 SE Scientific Reading (2023S)

This in-person seminar will prepare you to conduct an empirical study in Environmental Psychology.

This is the first seminar of a 2-semester course. This summer semester you will complete steps 1-4, and 5-6 will take place in the seminar “Bachelor’s thesis”, winter semester 2023/24.
(1) Become familiar with a topic
(2) Develop research question and hypotheses
(3) Identify appropriate methods
(4) Design your study and plan your analysis
(5) Conduct your study
(6) Analyze your data and write up your thesis

The class will be divided into two groups, one for each focal topic (see below). In these groups, you will plan a study together on your topic. Based on this group work, you will then write an individual exposé (incl. Introduction, Methods, rough Analysis). For your exposé, you will all focus on your groups' central research question, but write up your individual (!) report. Building on your exposé, your group will conduct the proposed study together and write individual bachelor theses in the winter semester 2023/24.

Past students have experienced this seminar (summer semester 2023) as more work-intensive than other seminars. Please reserve ~8.5h per week to work on tasks between session.

Topic 1: Do-Gooder Derogation
How do you know someone’s vegan? Actually, they WON’T always tell you. Vegans and other moral pioneers often chose to hide their moral behaviour because they are seen as unlikeable, militant, intolerant, and annoying because of it - a phenomenon called do-gooder derogation (DGD). There are different reasons for this: First, moral pioneers promote new moral standards in society and may thus be seen as a threat by those who do not yet conform to those standars. Second, moral pioneers are sometimes thought to be performing the moral behaviour just to be seen more positively, that is, to engage in virtue signaling.

As part of your thesis, you run your own study on communication strategies to reduce DGD, OR interventions to support do-gooders who experience DGD. To come up with your own study, you will draw inspiration from recently collected qualitative interview data (provided), as well as the existing literature. The interview data includes 1-1.5h interviews with vegans and non-fliers on their behaviour and experience of DGD.

A thesis on this topic will include data collection. If you choose this topic, you should be interested in DGD, coping, and communication, working with qualitative interview data, and developing and conducting an original research study in a group.

Topic 2: Pluralistic Ignorance
What do you think how many Austrians would agree that climate change and its consequences are the biggest challenges for humanity in the 21st century?
A recent survey found that 73% of Austrians agree with this statement. If you are like most people (including me), your guess was probably far lower–a phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance. To date, several studies have demonstrated this phenomenon in the context of climate change. However, simple disclosure interventions such as informing individuals about the actual perceptions of others can reduce pluralistic ignorance and its negative consequences.

As part of your thesis, you will work on an existing large-scale, multi-country dataset. Using this dataset, you will either (a) investigate whether pluralistic ignorance exists and whether a simple disclosure intervention can increase several outcomes (i.e., climate change beliefs, policy support, pro-environemntal behavior) in a specific country OR (b) whether the disclosure intervention is more effective in some countries than others, depending on cultural factors.

A thesis on this topic will not include any data collection. If you choose this topic, you should be interested in learning about pluralistic ignorance, cultural psychology, and potentially new data analysis techniques (JASP or R), including extensive training and guidance on these techniques in the winter semester 2023/24.