Biased estimates of environmental impact: The nature of individual variation.

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http://eprints.org/relation/isVersionOf https://data.lancashire.ac.uk/id/document/611 http://eprints.org/relation/isVolatileVersionOf https://data.lancashire.ac.uk/id/document/611 http://eprints.org/relation/isIndexCodesVersionOf https://data.lancashire.ac.uk/id/document/611 archive 8023 disk0/00/00/03/22 2021-12-02 10:08:59 2023-07-24 13:40:43 2021-12-02 10:08:59 data_collection 281 show Threadgold Emma EThreadgold1@uclan.ac.uk Marsh John Everett JEMarsh@uclan.ac.uk Holmgren Mattias Andersson Hanna Nelson Megan Ball Linden LBall@uclan.ac.uk Biased estimates of environmental impact: The nature of individual variation. submitted C800 2023sub_P Negative Footprint Illusion, Individual Differences, Reasoning, Environmental Concern People consistently act in ways that harm the environment, even when believing their actions are environmentally friendly. A case in point is a biased judgment termed the negative footprint illusion, which arises when people believe that the addition of “eco-friendly” items (e.g., environmentally-certified houses) to conventional items (e.g., standard houses), reduces the total carbon footprint of the whole item-set, whereas the carbon footprint is, in fact, increased because eco-friendly items still contribute to the overall carbon footprint. Previous research suggests this illusion is the manifestation of an “averaging-bias”. We present two studies that explore whether people’s susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion is associated with individual differences in: (i) environment-specific reasoning dispositions measured in terms of compensatory green beliefs and environmental concerns; or (ii) general analytic reasoning dispositions measured in terms of actively open-minded thinking, avoidance of impulsivity and reflective reasoning (indexed using the Cognitive Reflection Test; CRT). A negative footprint illusion was demonstrated when participants rated the carbon footprint of conventional buildings combined with eco-friendly buildings (Study 1 and 2) and conventional cars combined with eco-friendly cars (Study 2). However, the illusion was not identified in participants’ ratings of the carbon footprint of apples (Study 1 and 2). In Studies 1 and 2, environment-specific dispositions were found to be unrelated to the negative footprint illusion. Regarding reflective thinking dispositions, reduced susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion was only associated with actively open-minded thinking measured on a 7-item scale (Study 1) and 17-item scale (Study 2). Our findings provide partial support for the existence of a negative footprint illusion and reveal a role of individual variation in reflective reasoning dispositions in accounting for a limited element of differential susceptibility to this illusion. submitted 10.17030/uclan.data.00000281 collection BaBrc rdmsupport@uclan.ac.uk Research Fellow Threadgold Emma EThreadgold1@uclan.ac.uk People consistently act in ways that harm the environment, even when believing their actions are environmentally friendly. A case in point is a biased judgment termed the negative footprint illusion, which arises when people believe that the addition of “eco-friendly” items (e.g., environmentally-certified houses) to conventional items (e.g., standard houses), reduces the total carbon footprint of the whole item-set, whereas the carbon footprint is, in fact, increased because eco-friendly items still make a contribution to the overall carbon footprint. We present a study that explores whether people’s susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion is associated with individual differences in: (i) general reasoning dispositions measured in terms of actively open-minded thinking, impulsivity and reflective reasoning (indexed using the Cognitive Reflection Test; CRT); or (ii) environment-specific reasoning dispositions measured in terms of compensatory green beliefs and environmental concerns. We demonstrate a negative footprint illusion when participants rated the carbon footprint of conventional houses combined with eco-friendly houses; however, the illusion did not extend to participants’ ratings of the carbon footprint of apples. Environment-specific dispositions were also found to be unrelated to the negative footprint illusion. Regarding general dispositions, our study revealed an association between actively open-minded thinking, measured on a seven-item scale, and reduced susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion. However, an ability to engage in more reflective thinking, assessed using the CRT, was not associated with reduced susceptibility to the illusion. Our findings provide only limited evidence for individual variation in reasoning dispositions playing a role in differential susceptibility to the negative footprint illusion, suggesting that the basis of individual differences in such vulnerability may reside in other person variables, perhaps ones relating to fundamental cognitive factors (e.g., working memory capacity). Data presented in the excel sheet are raw data without any processing or preparation. A separate data sheet is provided for Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. The data were scored according to the conventions for each of the individual differences questionnaires. Full details are provided within the excel sheets and further information within the manuscript. Biased Estimates of Environmental Impact in the Negative Footprint Illusion: The Nature of Individual Variation The data was collected via Qualtrics online survey software, and Prolific Academic, a participant pool site. Participants were reimbursed with the standard department payment rate in return for their participation. Preston, United Kingdom 2018-01 2021-08 2018-01 2018-12