Unclouding judgment: advocating for greater attention to cognitive biases in socioscientific decision-making on climate change

Abstract This forum reflects on Chrystalla Lymbouridou’s article titled “Science for ethics in SSI discussions.” The author examined how students used scientific claims to support ethical decision-making in the socioscientific contexts of cloning, hunting, and mobile phone use. Drawing on a quotation, we critically discuss the role of cognitive biases in socioscientific decision-making, focusing on the context of climate change. First, we discuss the role of personal experience and intuition when reasoning about climate change and explore the extent to which it is constrained by our human-centered perspective. We then examine whether statistical evidence can prevent cognitive biases and show how cognitive biases can also influence the selection and interpretation of statistical evidence. Next, we consider whether and to what extent cognitive biases represent a danger, recognizing that some biases may serve as leverage points for climate action, while others can contribute to inaction in this area. Finally, the inevitable influence of these biases on understanding and decision-making leads us to the conclusion that they constitute a particularly important area of concern for both science education and science education research.