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Cultural Cognition and Perceptions of Judicial Neutrality

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law.

Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law.

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law.

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

Source: Kahan, D.M., Jenkins-Smith, H. & Braman, D. Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus. J. Risk Res. 14, (2011).

High Risk (science conclusive) Low Risk (science inconclusive) Climate Change

Low Risk (safe) High Risk (not safe) Geologic Isolation of Nuclear Wastes

High Risk (Increase crime) Low Risk (Decrease Crime) Concealed Carry Laws

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Individualism Communitarianism hierarchical individualists hierarchical communitarians egalitarian communitariansegalitarian individualists Cultural Cognition Worldviews

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Environment: climate, nuclear Cultural Cognition Worldviews Environment: climate, nuclear Guns/Gun Control Individualism Communitarianism Risk Perception Key Low Risk High Risk

Source: Kahan, D.M., Jenkins-Smith, H. & Braman, D. Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus. J. Risk Res. 14, (2011).

N = 1,500. Derived from ordered-logit regression analysis, controlling for demographic and political affiliation/ideology variables. Culture variables set 1 SD from mean on culture scales. CIs reflect 0.95 level of confidence Concealed Carry Climate Change Nuclear Power 31% 54% 22% 58% 61% 72% Pct. Point Difference in Likelihood of Selecting Response 60% 40% 20% 0 20% 40% 60% Egalitarian Communitarian More Likely to Agree Hierarchical Individualist More Likely to Agree Featured scientist is a knowledgeable and credible expert on...

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Abortion procedure Cultural Cognition Worldviews compulsory psychiatric treatment Abortion procedure compulsory psychiatric treatment Risk Perception Key Low Risk High Risk Individualism Communitarianism Environment: climate, nuclear Guns/Gun Control HPV Vaccination Gays military/gay parenting

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

Did protestors cross the line between speech and intimidation? source: Dan M. Kahan, David A. Hoffman, Donald Braman, Danieli Evans & Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, They Saw a Protest : Cognitive Illiberalism and the Speech-Conduct Distinction, 64 Stan. L. Rev. 851 (2012)

Did protestors cross the line between speech and intimidation? source: Dan M. Kahan, David A. Hoffman, Donald Braman, Danieli Evans & Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, They Saw a Protest : Cognitive Illiberalism and the Speech-Conduct Distinction, 64 Stan. L. Rev. 851 (2012)

Experimental Conditions Recruitment Center ConditionAbortion Clinic Condition source: Dan M. Kahan, David A. Hoffman, Donald Braman, Danieli Evans & Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, They Saw a Protest : Cognitive Illiberalism and the Speech-Conduct Distinction, 64 Stan. L. Rev. 851 (2012)

Experimental Conditions Recruitment Center ConditionAbortion Clinic Condition

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Individualism Communitarianism hierarchical individualists hierarchical communitarians egalitarian communitariansegalitarian individualists Cultural Cognition Worldviews

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Abortion procedure Cultural Cognition Worldviews compulsory psychiatric treatment Abortion procedure compulsory psychiatric treatment Risk Perception Key Low Risk High Risk Individualism Communitarianism Environment: climate, nuclear Guns/Gun Control HPV Vaccination Gays military/gay parenting

Pct. Agree Abortion Clinic Recruitment Ctr

Pct. Agree Abortion Clinic Recruitment Ctr

Pct. Agree Abortion Clinic Recruitment Ctr

Pct. Agree Abortion Clinic Recruitment Ctr

Pct. Agree Abortion Clinic Recruitment Ctr

Protestors blocked Pedestrians just not want to listen Police just annoyed Screamed in face

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

study_dismiss scale (α = 0.85)

Hierarchy Egalitarianism Individualism Climate change Cultural Cognition Worldviews Communitarianism Climate change Risk Perception Key Low Risk High Risk

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

Control Condition

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

Anti-pollution Condition

Geoengineering Condition

study_dismiss scale (α = 0.85)

Anti-pollution Condition

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

Geoengineering Condition

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

z_Study dismiss 2 Dismiss Credit Study dismissiveness Hierarch Individ Egal Commun anti-pollution

more polarization less polarization Polarization z_Study dismiss 2 anti-pollution

Judicial communicative virtues 1. Expressive reassurance 2. Aporiaacknowledging (real) complexity J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Rehnquist Court at Twilight: The Lures and Perils of Split-the-Difference Jurisprudence, 58 Stan. L. Rev (2006). Cass R. Sunstein, Trimming, 122 Harv. L. Rev (2009). Dan M. Kahan, The Supreme Court 2010 TermForeword: Neutral Principles, Motivated Cognition, and Some Problems for Constitutional Law,126 Harv. L. Rev. 1 (2011). Dan Simon & Nicholas Scurich, Lay Judgments of Judicial Decision-Making, J. Empirical Legal Studies (forthcoming 2012)

Ron BernieLinda Pat Pro-pltff (driver) Pro-dfdt (police) Perceptions of Protoypical Jurors

Judicial communicative virtues 1. Expressive reassurance 2. Aporiaacknowledging (real) complexity J. Harvie Wilkinson III, Rehnquist Court at Twilight: The Lures and Perils of Split-the-Difference Jurisprudence, 58 Stan. L. Rev (2006). Cass R. Sunstein, Trimming, 122 Harv. L. Rev (2009). Dan M. Kahan, The Supreme Court 2010 TermForeword: Neutral Principles, Motivated Cognition, and Some Problems for Constitutional Law,126 Harv. L. Rev. 1 (2011). Dan Simon & Nicholas Scurich, Lay Judgments of Judicial Decision-Making, 8 J. Empirical Legal Studies 709 (2011)

Neutral umpire thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of neutral principles of law. Partisan decisionmaker thesis: The Supreme Court decides cases on the basis of partisan political commitments extraneous to law. Neutrality miscommunication thesis: Public perceptions of judicial neutrality are distorted by social and cognitive dynamics that can and should be mitigated by judicial decisionmaking practices.

1.The science communication problem 2.The neutrality communication problem 3. Science communication remedies