The Development of Attitudes Toward Scientific Models During a Participatory Modeling Process – The Impact of Participation and Social Network Structure

Taylor Goelz,Andrew Scheld,Troy Hartley,Inga Carboni

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00644

Abstract

Scientific models are increasingly being used to support participatory natural resources management decision making processes. These models allow stakeholders and scientists to explore potential policy and management options and can help facilitate discussion surrounding concerning uncertainty and different sources of knowledge. The unique benefits of participatory modeling processes, however, are contingent upon stakeholders understanding of, engagement with, and willingness to use the scientific models as sources of knowledge and information. Little is known, however, about how stakeholders view scientific models within these processes. We examined changes in stakeholders’ attitudes towards scientific models over the course of OysterFutures, a two-year, facilitated participatory modeling process that aimed to create consensus recommendations for oyster management in the Choptank River Complex, Maryland, USA. Five ordered logistic regression models were used to test hypotheses concerning the impact of social network measures, factors related to the participatory modeling process itself, and stakeholder characteristics on salience, credibility and legitimacy (SCL) attitudes towards models. Results suggested that stakeholders’ ways of knowing was a significant driver of salience, credibility and legitimacy elements of attitudes towards models. Additionally, acting as a gatekeeper within the social network resulted in significantly lower attitudes towards model credibility. These results indicate that the scientific model acted as a boundary object that facilitated discussion during the participatory modeling process. By better understanding the factors that influence model attitude formation, these processes can adjust their design and function to better take advantage of these models. Additionally, practitioners can have more realistic expectations concerning the role of models within participatory, collaborative natural resources decision-making processes.

Highlights

The growing complexity of natural resources management problems has necessitated the involvement of a wider scope and variety of knowledge in decision-making processes
Stakeholder Group membership was a significant predictor of all elements of salience, credibility and legitimacy attitudes toward models
Membership in the Environmental Group resulted in significantly higher attitudes toward salience, credibility and legitimacy of models than membership in other stakeholder groups, except Scientists

Summary

Introduction

The growing complexity of natural resources management problems has necessitated the involvement of a wider scope and variety of knowledge in decision-making processes. This bypasses the narrower focus utilized in more “traditional” decision making (Rouwette et al, 2011). Obtaining a wider scope of knowledge is accomplished through the involvement of a range of stakeholders into decision-making processes (Armitage et al, 2008). Scientific models have been increasingly used to facilitate participation in decision-making processes. Modeling in this context, where scientific modeling is linked with some form of stakeholder participation is called “participatory modeling” (Dreyer and Renn, 2011). This is especially important as problems in natural resources management today are increasingly “wicked”; they are more complex, have high levels of uncertainty, lack structure and have ambiguous solutions (Rittel and Weber, 1973)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion