Knowledge and Emotions in Socioscientific Decision Making

Abstract

Socioscientific issues require practical decisions that use knowledge and emotions as inputs for the decision-making process. To examine how these resources influence decision-making, this investigation was conducted from a constructionist epistemological stance, a symbolic interactionism theoretical perspective, and a grounded theory methodology. Twenty-five informants were purposefully selected based on the study’s selection criteria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, transcribed, and analyzed using Hennink and Kaiser’s strategies to achieve theoretical saturation. The analysis revealed that: (1) Knowledge of socioscientific issues was associated with emotion-related objects that elicited negative emotional responses from decision-makers; (2) These negative emotions triggered the use of related conceptual and contextual knowledge in generating decision alternatives; (3) Positive emotions motivated decision alternatives toward specific goals; (4) Decision alternatives contained both cognitive and affective components; and (5) Decisions were based on the appraisal of the overall cognitive and affective baggage of these alternatives. The findings underscored the importance of decision-makers enhancing their cognitive and affective resources and incorporating both when making practical decisions to effectively ad-dress socioscientific issues, thereby contributing to positive outcomes for individuals, societies, and the global community.