How a Growth Mind-Set Can Change the Climate: Implicit Beliefs Influence People's Thoughts and Actions

• In Event: 61.012 - Climate Change Teaching and Learning in the Post-Truth Era: Making Valid Inferences From Scientific Evidence

Abstract

Although people seem to be concerned about climate change, few are pro-actively acting upon it. This study examined such disparity by investigating people’s implicit beliefs about the world, i.e. the degree to which people perceive their world as changeable. An U.S. survey explored how a belief that the world is changeable (growth mindset) could impact people’s understanding and action. Holding a growth mindset predicted accurate attitudes towards climate change, stronger beliefs about its successful mitigation, and higher behavioural inclinations. Furthermore, it predicted larger changes in such attitudes, beliefs, and behavioural inclinations after the presentation of a persuasive text and it augmented indirectly the frequency of actual pro-environmental behaviours measured at a ten-day follow-up.

Authors

• Lorenzo Duchi, Erasmus University Rotterdam

• Doug Lombardi, University of Maryland - College Park

• Fred Paas, Erasmus University

• Sofie Loyens, University College Roosevelt