IALSP Science Communication Task Force Insights From the Science of Language on the Language of Science

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

IALSP Science Communication Task Force

Insights from the Science of Language on the Language of Science
Co-chairs:

Janice L. Krieger, University of Florida, USA
Cindy Gallois, University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA

Scope and Purpose

Effectively communicating about issues related to advancements in science and technology is a topic of global concern to scholars from a variety of disciplines, including communication, social psychology, and the sciences.To date, science communication efforts have largely emanated from a deficit model of communication wherein the goal is to simply transmit information to the public. There has been little attention to how language shapes public attitudes and perceptions and even less on the ethics of those approaches. For instance, the science of biotechnology is often framed as a moral imperative to fight global food insecurity. Framing biotechnology in this way oversimplifies both the problem of world hunger and constrains dialogue about broader societal issues related to the science.Thus, there is an important need to systematically examine how language is currently being used to both promote and hinder public discourse about science.

The purpose of this task force is to examine the role of language in communicating about science and technology around the globe. First, we will invite a multi-national group of scholars to examine language within specific scientific areas, such as stem cell research, biotechnology, climate change, energy. There will be a common core of themes for each scholar to address within the specific context. These reviews will generate a broad overview of knowledge about language and science communication, identify important but answered theoretical and applied questions, and lay out a research agenda for advancing science and practice.

Outcomes

The outcomes of the task force include a panel at ICA, Puerto Rico, 2015 on behalf of the International Association of Language and Social Psychology, a panel at the Internaction Conference on Langugage and Social Psychology in Bangkok, Thailand in 2016, and publication as a special issue of the Journal of Language and Social Psychology.

Topics addressed as part of the task force include:

• Stem Cell Research
• Biotechnology/GM Foods
• Climate Change
• Energy
• Public Engagement with Science
• Nanotechnology
• Clinical Research (e.g., clinical trials)
• Health Promotion

Sub Unit

• Sponsored Sessions

Participants

• Janice Krieger, U of Florida

• Cindy Gallois, U of Queensland

• Anne Margaret Stone, Rollins College

• Isaac Nahon-Serfaty, U of Ottowa

• Craig O. Stewart, U of Memphis

• Peta Ashworth, U of Queensland

• Joan Leach, U of Queensland

• Jordan Neil, U of Florida

• Bernadette M Watson, U of Queensland

• Liz Jones, Griffith U