Communicating Psychological Research Findings to the Public: Handling Technical Terms

The findings of psychological studies are not only relevant and interesting for scientists, but also for non-scientists. To communicate scientific evidence to the public, plain language summaries have been introduced. A notable challenge associated with drafting plain language summaries pertains to the management of technical terminology. Technical terms can impede the comprehension of texts for lay readers. Additionally, employing or not employing technical terms in plain language summaries could influence the way in which the reader assesses the author of the text in terms of epistemic trustworthiness. While employment of technical terms may indicate a high level of expertise, it may also make the authors of the texts seem less warm and less trustworthy on an affective level. The question arises as to whether technical terms in a plain language summary should be replaced by a layfriendly term or whether they should be retained. This protocol outlines the design of an experimental study investigating the effect of the replacement versus retainment of technical terms in plain language summaries on several outcomes, focusing on epistemic trustworthiness and author warmth vs. competence.