What social phenomenon do sociologists Nyhan and Reifler refer to as the backfire effect? What are its dangers? How does it relate to climate change, for example? What do these researchers recommend as a way to challenge the obstacle posed by the
backfire effect?
Please provide the best answer for the statement.
1. The backfire effect refers to the social scientific finding that, when confronted with evidence challenging their beliefs, people tend to reject the evidence and become even more attached to their challenged beliefs.
2. The danger, in a case like climate change, is that despite accumulating evidence and social activism, people who do not believe climate change is happening will dig in their heels and refuse to support efforts to address this dire problem.
3. Researchers recommend approaching people who have a firm opinion that lacks evidence by promoting empathy rather than by confronting them with facts. For instance, one might start by asking people to imagine the harms that will be suffered by those they care about if they fail to take action.
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In which of the following ways does deviance benefit society?
a. Deviance diverts resources that could be used in other ways. b. Deviance decreases predictability in society. c. Deviance promotes social change. d. Deviance stimulates even more deviance in others. e. Deviance erodes trust in society.
Men and women experience illness and disease at similar rates due to engagement in risky activities and unsafe work conditions.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
When did sociologists (as opposed to social thinkers) first appear?
a. ancient Greeks and Romans b. Middle-Ages c. Renaissance (1400s) d. mid-1800s
The housing bubble was in part caused by
a. mortgage instruments that made it easier for people to buy houses b. tax policies, like loan interest deductions, that made buying a house cheaper c. the belief that housing prices would only go up and never decrease d. all of the above