Thompson co-authors study about use of language in scientific work
Assistant professor Esi Thompson co-authored a study examining how the use of language in reporting scientific findings affects people’s perception of their credibility.
The study, “Using Normative Language when Describing Scientific Findings: Randomized Controlled Trial of Effects on Trust and Credibility,” was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The study found that political leanings may affect how credible and trustworthy people find scientific results based on whether the results are reported using cognitive or normative language. People who lean liberal tended to find results more credible if they were reported using normative language, whereas people with conservative ideology tended to find results more credible if they were reported using cognitive language.
However, the study did not support the authors’ original hypothesis that even a single instance of normative language in scientific reports would decrease all people’s perceptions of how trustworthy and credible the results were.