Dr. Raimi is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. A social and environmental psychologist, she studies how social goals
influence climate change mitigation. Professor Raimi is particularly interested in how people compare themselves to others, how message framing shapes attitudes toward climate policy, and how adopting one sustainable behavior affects subsequent decisions. She completed her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Duke University and a Postdoc at the Vanderbilt University Institute for Energy and Environment.

Despite the growing scientific consensus about human-caused climate change, climate beliefs in the U.S. are sharply divided along political lines. One explanation for this polarization is motivated reasoning: People seeking out information with the goal to maintain their existing beliefs. This talk explores how people use motivated reasoning to reject evidence that challenges their worldviews, their social goals, or their belief in their own superiority, and discusses ways to discuss climate change that better account for these biases.

This is the fifth in a six-lecture series. The subject is Behavioral and Social Sciences: Real World Applications. The next lecture will be April 12, 2018. The title is Understanding Charitable Giving Decisions: New Evidence and Recommendations.