Effects of Repeated Exposure to Science TV Shows on Beliefs About Scientific Evidence and Interest in Science

Abstract

For scientific laypersons, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the concept of scientific evidence. Prior research shows that the media tend to underrepresent the tentativeness and uncertainty of research findings. Yet presently it remains unclear whether beliefs about the certainty or uncertainty of scientific evidence are affected by the mass media’s science coverage. In this study, we tested cultivation effects of features from German science TV shows on laypersons’ beliefs about science and their interest in science. A sample of adults (N = 700) representative of the German population in terms of age, sex, and education participated in a longitudinal field experiment with an extended Solomon four-group design (two experimental and three control groups). The treatment consisted of six successive media stimuli, which portrayed scientific evidence as either certain or uncertain, over the course of 6 weeks. Results indicate media effects on participants’ beliefs about the certainty of scientific evidence. Additionally, the treatment portraying science as certain enhanced participants’ interest in science, whereas the uncertainty treatment had no effect on interest. These experimental findings demonstrate cultivation effects using real-world stimuli and are interpreted in support of the claim for a greater acknowledgement of uncertainty in science communication.