People’s reliance on the affect heuristic may result in a biased perception of gene technology

Abstract

In an experiment, we demonstrated that the same outcome of a new corn variety was evaluated less positively if it was from gene technology (GT) compared with conventional breeding technology (CT). The participants (N=205) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions—GT or CT. In the first step, the participants’ affect associated with GT or CT plants was measured. Then, the participants read a hypothetical scenario about a new genetically modified (GT condition) or conventionally produced (CT condition) corn variety that was more resistant to the corn borer. They were presented with a matrix in which 1976 black (50%) and white (50%) cells were randomly scattered. The participants were informed that each cell represented a test plot and that the corn plants in the white test plots were not damaged by the corn borer. The participants were then asked to estimate the percentage of the plots infested by the corn borer and how effective they perceived the new corn variety was in resisting the pest. The results indicated that the participants assigned to the GT condition perceived the new corn variety as significantly less effective compared with the participants assigned to the CT condition. No significant difference was observed for estimated percentages. The results suggest that the difference in perceived effectiveness between genetically modified and conventionally bred corn can be explained by people’s reliance on the affect heuristic.