Topic 7 - Putting the "I" in Environment Flashcards
ecological literacy
an understanding of key ecological concepts and the reciprocal relationship between natural systems and human systems
Environmental knowledge
the extent to which people are aware of environmental issues, whether they grasp the underlying processes or not
cultural cognition thesis
people’s perceptions of risks are influenced not just by knowledge, but also by the values of the social groups with which they affiliate and identify
Ecological Belief in a Just World (EBJW) scale
measures the extent to which respondents believe (falsely) that all people generally have equal access to healthy, unpolluted natural resources and the same opportunity to participate in decision making about where industrial hazards will be located
external locus of control (LOC)
belief that people have little influence over personal outcomes and world events; they feel like things happen because of chance, fate, luck, divine will,
or other external influences.
internal locus of control
belief that outcomes depend upon planning, effort, and personal commitment
self-efficacy
the belief that one has the ability to successfully pursue a course of action required to achieve a goal
attitude
a positive or negative evaluation of something
attitude-behaviour gap
attitudes do not always predict behaviour
explicit attitudes
attitudes people are conscious of holding
implicit attitudes
nonconscious attitudes
values
“guiding principles” that inform both beliefs and attitudes
personal norms
idiosyncratic (peculiar/individual) feelings of moral obligation to act in a particular way
Egoistic values
lead to people’s concern about the environment because of direct impacts to them personally
altruistic values
care about the environment because of its relevance for other humans, including children, community members, other cultures, future generations, and society in general
biospheric values
regarding ecological systems as important in themselves, beyond what they mean for human survival (altruistic) or personal comforts (egoistic)
materialistic values
values focused on wealth, possessions, image, and status
highly materialistic individuals have larger ecological footprints, consuming more of the earth’s resources due to their lifestyle choices regarding food, transportation, and housing; they report fewer environmentally friendly behaviours
need for cognition
thinking hard is rewarding
conceptual complexity
comfortable mulling over large amounts of information
and is able to make connections and see patterns
need for closure
uncomfortable with nuance or uncertainty, and is eager to finalize decisions; limited tolerance for new information
integrative complexity
high need for cognition, high conceptual complexity, and low need for closure
time perspective
people who habitually think about the future when making decisions in the moment
personality traits
aspects of your general character that tend to remain consistent across situations
identity
roles, ideological beliefs, interests, and self-evaluations
