Climate change images produce an attentional bias associated with pro-environmental disposition.

Climate change images produce an attentional bias associated with pro-environmental disposition.
Cogn Process. 2019 Jan 23;:
Authors: Carlson JM, Lehman BR, Thompson JL
Abstract
Humans have developed mechanisms to prioritize certain sensory input(s). Emotionally salient stimuli automatically capture observers' attention at the cost of less salient information. This prioritized processing is called attentional bias. Images of climate change have been found to elicit emotional responses. Yet, to date, there is no research assessing the extent to which climate change-relevant images produce an attentional bias. In a sample of college students (N = 39), we found that (1) climate change-related images capture attention and that (2) this attentional bias is related to individual differences in environmental disposition. Thus, images of climate change are salient-attention grabbing-signals related to pro-environmental orientation.
PMID: 30671678 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Cognitive Processing - January 23, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Carlson JM, Lehman BR, Thompson JL Tags: Cogn Process Source Type: research