Understanding how people make sense of social issues is a fundamental aspect of communications research. In this piece, we apply theory from psychological anthropology to provide a new perspective on this core feature of communication and argue for the importance of considering culture in applied communications research. Drawing on a study of the implicit understandings and patterns of reasoning that Americans use to think about the process of aging and older adults, we show how the theory of cultural models can be applied to arrive at a deeper view of the ways in which members of the public make meaning of aging issues. We discuss the implications of this research for those communicating about aging and other social and scientific issues. The article provides information on public understanding that is directly pertinent to those communicating about aging and demographic change in the United States.

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Findings indicate that reframing messages about aging can decrease implicit bias against older adults. This study highlights ways for communicators to promote a positive understanding of the aging process, thereby mitigating sources of implicit prejudice.

Science is currently under-utilized as a tool for effective policy and program design. A key part of this research-to-practice gap lies in the ineffectiveness of current models of science translation. Drawing on theory and methods from anthropology and cognitive linguistics, this study explores the role of cultural models and metaphor in the practice of science communication and translation. Qualitative interviews and group sessions, along with quantitative framing experiments, were used to design and test the effectiveness of a set of explanatory metaphors in translating the science of executive function. Developmental and cognitive scientists typically define executive function as a multi-dimensional set of related abilities that include working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. The study finds one metaphor in particular—the brain's air traffic control system—to be effective in bridging gaps between expert and public understandings on this issue and in so doing improving the accessibility of scientific information to members of the public as they reason about public policy issues. Findings suggest both a specific tool that can be used in efforts to translate the science of executive function and a theory and methodology that can be employed to design and test metaphors as communication devices on other science and social issues

From 2005-2007, we addressed problems of access to epilepsy care in Kilifi, Kenya from an anthropological perspective. Researchers have identified a lack of attention to contextual constraints on treatment decision-making (Garro, 1998, p. 321; Good, 1986, p. 164). Few studies have examined the social and procedural factors that shape and constrain the treatment choices for epilepsy, such as the roles of providers in the community and the structural differences between biomedical and alternative treatments. To address this shortcoming, we employed a comparative ethnographic approach to explore the distinguishing characteristics of services for childhood epilepsy in Kilifi. We focused on how treatment-seeking is facilitated or deterred by the availability of treatment options and characteristics of service providers, rather than by characteristics of the persons in need of treatment (see Finkler 1994 for a notable example of this approach). To our knowledge, this was the first study to contrast features of service providers as potential determinants of treatment choice for children with epilepsy.In addition to gathering qualitative data on biomedical health providers, we conducted participant observations and interviews with a group of traditional healers in Kilifi. Each healer was seen in a series of meetings over a period of 10 months. Our research revealed complex explanations of epilepsy symptoms and treatments that had cultural and social meaning for treatment seekers. Our data also indicated important differences between traditional and biomedical treatment options. This essay briefly discusses the traditional healer component of the study, and presents aspects of their services that help explain the local popularity of this treatment option.The local term for epilepsy in Kilifi District is Kifafa. Traditional healers expressed consistent definitions of the symptoms and causes of Kifafa. One healer described Kifafa as, "…a problem that comes when a person falls on the ground and shakes like this [demonstrates a convulsion]. His arms move like this and his legs do this…When the person wakes up he does not remember what has happened…This is Kifafa if it comes again and again." Traditional healers attributed epilepsy and other illnesses to natural spirits or Nyagu, curses or Majini, and ancestral spirits. Healers employed a different treatment ideology for each of the three spirit-based causes of childhood epilepsy.