Abstract
Stem-cell research is touted by some as a medical revolution giving rise to unprecedented hopes. Others view it as a violation of fundamental human values. Decisions about the acceptability or non-acceptability of translational research agendas will ultimately depend on a reconciliation of many psychosocial and cultural factors affecting judgment and decision processes. In this chapter we discuss some of the key elements defining risk perceptions and influencing risk debates, including affect, qualitative characteristics of the technology, worldview, values, decision style, and social networks. Recommendations for policymakers are provided to help improve communications among stakeholders.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
International Society for Stem Cell Research. Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells. 2008. Available from www.isscr.org.
Nisbet MC. The competition for worldviews: Values, information, and public support for stem cell research. Int J Public Opin Res 2005; 17:90–112.
Kass L. The wisdom of repugnance. N Repub 1997; 216:17–26.
Webster N. Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary. New York: Simon & Schuster; 1983.
Damasio AR. Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Avon; 1994.
Epstein S. Integration of the cognitive and the psychodynamic unconscious. Am Psychol 1994; 49:709–24.
Sloman SA. The empirical case for two systems of reasoning. Psychol Bull 1996; 119:3–22.
Chaiken S, Trope Y. Dual-process theories in social psychology. New York: Guildford; 1999.
Kahneman D, Frederick S. Representativeness revisited: Attribute substitution in intuitive judgment. In: Gilovich T, Griffin D, Kahneman D, editors. Heuristics and biases. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2002. pp. 49–81.
Slovic P. The perception of risk. London: Earthscan; 2000.
Zaller J. Information, values, and opinions. Am Polit Sci Rev 1991; 85:1215–37.
Fiske ST, Taylor SE. Social cognition. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1991.
Eagly AH, Chaiken S. The psychology of attitudes. Fortworth: Harcourt Brace; 1993.
Bimber B, Gunston D. Politics by the same means: Government and science in the United States. In: Jasanoff S, Markle GE, Petersen JC, Pinch TJ, editors. The handbook of science and technology studies. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 1995.
Fukuyama F. Our post-human future. New York, Giroux: Farrar, Straus; 2002.
Lenoir N. Europe conflicts the embryonic stem cell research challenge. Science 2000; 287:1425–7.
Nisbet MC, Brossard D, Kroepsch A. Framing science: The stem cell controversy in an age of press/politics. Harv Int J Press/Politics 2003; 8:36–70.
Ho SS, Brossard D, Scheufele DA. Effects of value predispositions, mass media use, and knowledge on public attitudes toward embryonic stem cell research. Int J Public Opin Res 2008; 20:171–92.
Kühnen U, Oyserman D. Thinking about the self influences thinking in general: Cognitive consequences of salient self-concept. J Exp Soc Psychol 2002; 38:492–9.
Nisbett RE, Peng K, Choi I, Norenzayan A. Culture and systems of thought: Holistic versus analytic cognition. Psychol Rev 2001; 108:291–310.
Lee SC. A Confucian evaluation of embryonic stem cell research and the moral status of the human embryos. In: Lee SC, editor. The family, medical decision making, and biotechnology. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer; 2007. pp. 149–57.
Sipp D. Stem cell research in Asia: A critical view. J Cell Biochem 2009; 107:853–6.
Kasperson RE, Renn O, Slovic P, Brown HS, Emel J, Goble R, et al. The social amplification of risk: A conceptual framework. Risk Anal 1988; 8:177–87.
Dearing JW. Evolution of diffusion and dissemination theory. J Public Health Manag Pract 2008; 14:99–108.
Girvan M, Newman MEJ. Community structure in social and biological networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002; 99:7821.
Kahan DM, Slovic P. Cultural evaluations of risk: “Values” or “blunders”? Harv Law Rev 2006; 119:166–72.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Finucane, M.L., Williams, A.E. (2011). Psychosocial and Cultural Factors Affecting Judgments and Decisions About Translational Stem-Cell Research. In: Hug, K., Hermerén, G. (eds) Translational Stem Cell Research. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-959-8_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-959-8_28
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-60761-958-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-60761-959-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)