Why facts don't change minds: Insights from cognitive science for the improved communication of conservation research

Abstract

Conservation scientists increasingly seek to find ways to implement their research for improved policy and practice. However, such efforts may be ineffective, or even counterproductive, if they are based on outdated models of science communication and behavioral change. Insights from fields that study how information is processed in the brain, how and why humans make decisions and take action, and how change spreads across social networks can support and improve existing efforts to translate conservation research into practice and policy. However, little of this research has made its way into the conservation science literature, thus limiting the power of these ideas to influence how research is communicated and how impact is understood. This paper seeks to address this gap by discussing four common myths about how to best communicate science for decision-making, namely, that facts change minds, scientific literacy will lead to enhanced research uptake, individual attitude change will shift collective behaviors, and broad dissemination is best. The article provides four alternative insights that can support effective science communication and impact: engaging the social mind for optimal decision-making, understanding the power of values, emotions, and experience in swaying minds, changing collective behavior, and thinking strategically for biggest impact. If we can understand how people process information, we can design interventions based on the best possible evidence of how humans make decisions for conservation management and policy.