When research is me-search: How researchers' motivation to pursue a topic affects laypeople's trust in science.

ABSTRACT: Research is often fueled by researchers' scientific, but also their personal interests: Sometimes, researchers decide to pursue a specific research question because the answer to that question is idiosyncratically relevant for themselves: Such "me-search" may not only affect the quality of research, but also how it is perceived by the general public. In two studies (N = 621), we investigate the circumstances under which learning about a researcher's "me-search" increases or decreases laypeople's ascriptions of trustworthiness and credibility to the respective researcher. Results suggest that participants' own preexisting attitudes towards the research topic moderate the effects of "me-search" substantially: When participants hold favorable attitudes towards the research topic (i.e., LGBTQ

SUBMITTER: Altenmuller MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8270443 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature