Question 1

Describe a population in your community that is generally skeptical about environmentalism. Suppose you were designing a campaign to encourage sustainable behavior among members of this population. How might you frame your messages so as to best reach them?

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Explain how perceptual limits, affect, temporal discounting, and psychological distance all impact people's reactions - or lack thereof-- to climate change.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

Describe the two systems of thinking discussed in the text. How does understanding these systems and their relationship to each other help explain why people's behavior in industrialized societies is likely to be unsustainable?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the two systems of thinking discussed...

Question 4

Which of the following is false about the analytic thinking system?

Accepted Answer

The analytic thinking system is one of the two thinking systems proposed by Daniel Kahneman in his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow." It is responsible for reasoning analytically and logically. However, it is not the dominant system in control of our behavior. The other thinking system, the intuitive thinking system, is responsible for many of our automatic, impulsive, and emotional reactions.

Question 5

The text describes two types of thinking: an analytic system and a(n) _______________ system.

Accepted Answer

The analytic system is often contrasted with an automatic system in discussions of cognitive processes. The automatic system operates quickly and with little effort, unlike the analytic system which is slower and more deliberate.

Question 6

If you were to ask U.S. college students what comes to mind when they think of global warming, the least likely image would probably be

Accepted Answer

U.S. college students might not have a direct connection or experience with melting glaciers, floods in other parts of the world, or polar bears (which are often used as a symbol for the effects of global warming on vulnerable species). However, they might have observed dead or dying trees in their own neighborhoods, which can be a result of the increased frequency and intensity of heat waves and droughts associated with global warming.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a green default?

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Question 8

Simplistic mental models, such as perceiving the greenhouse effect as a ""heat-trapping blanket,""

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Question 9

Without how-to knowledge, people cannot

Accepted Answer

Problem-focused coping involves taking direct action to solve a problem, which requires knowledge of how to approach and address the problem. Without this knowledge, individuals may instead engage in less effective coping strategies such as avoidance or denial. Emotion-focused coping, on the other hand, focuses on managing one's emotional response to a problem and may not require specific knowledge or skills. Developing conscious behavioral intentions and understanding ecological systems may be important for other aspects of well-being, but are not necessarily dependent on how-to knowledge.

Question 10

Learning which behaviors are the most effective to promote sustainability

Accepted Answer

Learning which behaviors are the most effective to promote sustainability helps people direct their conscious efforts appropriately, but sometimes causes cognitive dissonance that leads people to downplay the effectiveness of the behaviors. However, it can also be very eye-opening as research suggests most people have no idea. Therefore, all of the given statements are true.

Question 11

Once people have developed a conscious intention to behave more sustainably, certain types of knowledge are helpful. Which of the following is not one of these types?

Accepted Answer

While risk knowledge is important, it is not necessarily one of the essential types of knowledge for individuals who have developed a conscious intention to behave more sustainably. The other types of knowledge, effectiveness knowledge, how-to knowledge, and systems knowledge, are all necessary for individuals to effectively engage in sustainable behavior.

Question 12

Environmental organizations direct a lot of resources toward increasing people's knowledge about environmental issues. Research suggest that greater knowledge about environmental issues

Accepted Answer

While knowledge about environmental issues is essential, it does not necessarily have a direct causal effect on proenvironmental behavior. Other factors such as personal values, societal norms, and available resources also play a significant role in determining proenvironmental actions.

Question 13

In modern industrialized society, people's lives tend to be busy, stressful, and overloaded with information. Under such circumstances, people tend to

Accepted Answer

In busy and stressful situations, people tend to rely on automatic thinking as a way to conserve mental resources and cope with the overwhelming volume of information and demands on their attention. This type of thinking relies on mental shortcuts and habits rather than deliberate, analytic thinking or conscious intention.

Question 14

Positive emotional states lead to

Accepted Answer

All of the above statements are true. Research has shown that positive emotional states can enhance cognitive processes such as creative thinking and broader thinking, and can also increase motivation to take action on new information.

Question 15

Like Skinner's insight about the relative merits of punishment and reinforcement, researchers have found that eliciting negative emotions ________________ eliciting positive emotions.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that eliciting positive emotions is generally more effective in promoting behavioral change and increasing motivation than eliciting negative emotions. Negative emotions can sometimes lead to avoidance or defensive behavior, whereas positive emotions can promote approach behavior and a desire to continue the behavior that led to the positive emotion.

Question 16

When researchers have asked participants to take the perspective of another person, or nonhuman animal, suffering the effects of environmentally irresponsible behavior, participants have displayed

Accepted Answer

When participants are asked to take the perspective of another person or animal suffering from the consequences of environmentally irresponsible behavior, they tend to develop increased empathy and concern for the environment. This is because taking the perspective of others encourages people to think beyond their own interests and facilitates a more emotionally connected response to environmental issues. Therefore, option A -increased empathy and environmental concern- is the best choice.

Question 17

Which of the following is false about the use of environmental messages that provoke fear in the audience?

Accepted Answer

While fear messages should be used with caution and tact, the statement that they should never be used because they cause people to respond defensively is false. Fear can be a powerful motivator for behavior change, but it must be balanced with a sense of personal control and efficacy.

Question 18

Which of the following is false about negative affect and sustainable behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Inspiring a fear of death in people is not a good way to motivate them to behave more sustainably. Studies have shown that this type of fear can lead to denial and avoidance behavior rather than positive action. It is important to frame sustainable behaviors in a positive and achievable way to increase motivation and adoption.

Question 19

When are people likely to engage in emotion-focused coping rather than tackling a problem?

Accepted Answer

All of the above options describe situations in which individuals are more likely to turn to emotion-focused coping strategies rather than problem-focused coping strategies. When a situation feels out of control, when effective solutions are not apparent, or when an individual does not feel capable of participating in a solution, they may rely on emotion-focused coping to help them manage their emotions and stress.

Question 20

Which of the following is false about attempts to scare people into behaving more sustainably?

Accepted Answer

Although anxiety and fear can be motivating, scaring people is not always an effective strategy for promoting sustainable behavior. Research has shown that fear appeals can sometimes backfire and lead to defensive responses, such as denial or avoidance. Therefore, scaring people should be done carefully and with consideration of the audience and context.

Quiz 6: Its Not Easy Thinking Green