Common sense, science and social representations

1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Farr
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
Sociology Of Knowledge ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Human Sciences ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
French Tradition

The theory of social representations is perfectly suited to the empirical investigation of the public's understanding of science. A sharp distinction is drawn between a scientific theory and its social representation corresponding, respectively, to the contrasting worlds of science and of common sense. Representations of science are to be found in the media as well as in people's minds and need to be sampled and studied in both locations. Moscovici initiated this French tradition of research with his study, in the late 1950s, of psychoanalysis. It is a sociological form of social psychology with close affinities to the sociology of knowledge. The applicability to the natural sciences of a theory developed in relation to the social and human sciences is discussed. The views of Moscovici and of Wolpert are compared and contrasted, especially in regard to the relations between science and common sense. It is argued that the study of social representations is a form of social science that natural scientists need to take seriously if their advice to governments is to become more effective. This is discussed in relation to such health issues as the purity of water and the conduct of government-sponsored campaigns to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as in regard to the wider issues of threats to the ecosystem.

scholarly journals Sexuality of elders with dementia: social representation of nursing students

Rev Rene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. e44199
Author(s):  
Wanderson Carneiro Moreira ◽  
Vanessa Carvalho Fontinele ◽  
Fernanda Cláudia Miranda Amorim ◽  
Maria do Perpétuo Socorro de Sousa Nóbrega ◽  
Cláudia Maria Sousa de Carvalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Semantic Classes ◽  
The Social

Objective: to learn about the social representation of nursing students about the sexuality of elders with dementia. Methods: qualitative study, based on the Theory of Social Representations, developed with 20 Nursing Graduation students from a Brazilian higher education institution. Data was collected through a focal group, processed in the software IRAMUTEQ and analyzed using a Descending Hierarchical Classification. Results: four semantic classes emerged: Sexuality as a right, The theme was insufficient in graduation, Meanings attributed to sexuality, and Care from the perspective of students. Conclusion: the study showed that the nursing students investigated had polysemic representations about the sexuality of elders with dementia, among which discriminatory and stigmatizing conceptions stood out, socially constructed and anchored in common sense.

As Representações Sociais de Graduandos no Curso de Pedagogia Sobre o “Ser Professor” de Ciências nos Anos Iniciais

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
João Luis Dequi Araújo ◽  
Carlos Alberto de Oliveira Magalhães Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Public University ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
The Social

O professor oriundo da licenciatura em Pedagogia, geralmente, possui dificuldades para ensinar Ciências, devido à formação deficiente e fragmentada, desta maneira, escolas e universidades são lugares capazes de compartilhar conhecimentos de senso comum e científicos atuando como geradoras de Representações Sociais. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo investigar as Representações Sociais sobre o ser professor de Ciências para os anos iniciais que os licenciandos em Pedagogia de uma Universidade pública do Paraná possuem. Foram utilizadas as técnicas de evocação livre de palavras e questionário como instrumentos de coleta de dados. Utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo e a categorização em elementos centrais e periféricos das Representações Sociais. Identificou-se que a representação social do ser professor envolve, principalmente, o ensinar e o aprender, em um contexto tradicional, de modo que seu o núcleo faz referência à palavra conhecimento e aos elementos periféricos aos conteúdos curriculares na área das Ciências Naturais. Reconheceu-se também que ao comparar as Representações Sociais dos graduandos das séries iniciais e finais do curso de Pedagogia as mesmas se mantiveram.Palavras-chave: Ensino. Formação de Professores. Senso Comum. AbstractTeachers who come  from Pedagogy degrees usually have difficulties  teaching sciences, because of their weak and fragmented preparation in this subject, and thus, schools and universities are places able to share common sense and scientific knowledge acting as social representations generators. This study aims to investigate the social representations about being a teacher Science for the first school years, that undergraduates in Pedagogy in one of Paraná Public university have. The analyses techniques of word free recall and questionnaire as data collection tools  were used for the content analysis in affirmative and categorization in central and peripheral elements of social representations. It was identified that the social representation of being a teacher primarily involves teaching and learning in a traditional context, so that his or her core refers to word knowledge in the act of transmitting it and the peripheral elements to the curriculum content area in Natural Sciences. It was also recognized that when comparing the students’ social representations in the initial years and the last years of the graduation remained the same.Keeywords: Teaching. Teacher’s Training. Common Sense

scholarly journals ENTRE O CRIME E A PANDEMIA: REFLEXÕES EM REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS

polemica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 063-076
Author(s):  
João Gilberto Silva Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Limited Period

Resumo: O texto tinha por objetivo uma pesquisa e se tornou um ensaio. De início, o objetivo era dar continuidade à perspectiva de aproximação da teoria das representações sociais aos fenômenos do cotidiano em estudos pontuais ou preliminares. E o fio condutor escolhido foi um crime bastante noticiado nos meios de comunicação, sendo o ponto de partida, portanto, de uma análise preliminar sobre a representação social do crime hediondo. Assim, a partir de dados veiculados pelos meios eletrônicos de comunicação, em prazo curto e delimitado, foram extraídos elementos que apontassem a possibilidade de uma pesquisa sobre a representação social do crime hediondo. Ainda que em caráter inicial, as análises respaldaram a perspectiva de uma abordagem recortada e bem próxima ao calor dos acontecimentos. Entretanto, de forma fulminante e paradoxal, a pandemia provocada pelo novo coronavírus confirmaria de forma radical a tal hipótese de trabalho, alterando completamente o escopo original do texto: escrever sobre o crime hediondo tornou-se secundário em relação ao caos provocado pelo vírus. O presente ensaio, escrito durante o período crítico da pandemia, expressa essa trajetória.Palavras-chave: Representações sociais. Crime hediondo. Cotidiano. Psicologia Social.Abstract: The text was intended for research and became an experience report. At first, the objective was to continue the perspective of bringing the theory of social representations closer to everyday phenomena in specific or preliminary studies. And the chosen guideline was a crime that was widely reported in the media, being the starting point, therefore, of a preliminary analysis on the social representation of heinous crime. Thus, from data transmitted by electronic means of communication, in a short and limited period, elements were extracted that point to the possibility of research on the social representation of heinous crime. Although in an initial character, the analyzes supported the perspective of a cut approach and very close to the heat of events. However, in a fulminating and paradoxical way, the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus would radically confirm this working hypothesis, completely changing the original scope of the text: writing about the heinous crime has become secondary to the chaos caused by the virus. The present essay, written during the critical period of the pandemic, expresses this trajectory.Keywords: Social representations. Heinous crime. Everyday life. Social psychology.

Obniżenie wieku rozpoczęcia obowiązku szkolnego – reprezentacje społeczne problemu w debacie publicznej

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-93
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Zbróg
Keyword(s):  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
School Age ◽  
Web Page ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Media

The article shows, on the example of discussion about the lowering of the school age, how it can be analysed by means of communication mechanisms distinctive of the social representation theory (anchoring, objectification) and the procedure of media discourse research in what way the media and citizens create social representations concerning socio-political problems, including educational problems. Social representations as a key tool describing the reality give meanings within the frame of the perceived world and join the private and the public reality. The knowledge encompassed in the representations clarifies the reality. The author’s own analysis included press materials published in the on-line versions of Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza and the web page Interia in years 2013–2014.

scholarly journals Representações Sociais dos estudantes de Administração sobre o ensino universitário: estudo em uma universidade pública de Paranavaí

Revista Foco ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Waldir Colli ◽  
Priscilla Borgonhoni Chagas
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
Management Students

O objetivo deste artigo é compreender as representações sociais dos estudantes universitários do primeiro e do último ano de Administração sobre o Ensino Superior, em uma Universidade Estadual em Paranavaí, no Estado do Paraná. O estudo fundamentou-se na Teoria das Representações Sociais e apresentou os seus principais conceitos e como são construídas as representações com base no senso comum. A pesquisa é caracterizada como qualitativa e utilizou como instrumento de coleta de dados a entrevista semiestruturada, realizada com quatorze acadêmicos e analisadas por meio da análise de conteúdo. Os principais resultados da pesquisa indicam que o curso de Administração é visto pelos acadêmicos como uma forma de oportunidade no mercado de trabalho e ascensão profissional. Entretanto, aponta também para um mercado competitivo, o qual exige que haja qualificação profissional de forma continuada. O estudo aponta que há demandas que são parcialmente atendidas na formação dos administradores, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao aspecto prático da profissão, refletindo em uma visão limitada dos acadêmicos em relação às funções e possibilidades de atuação de um administrador na atualidade. The aim of this paper is to understand the social representations of undergraduate Management students about higher education in an university, in Paranavaí. The study was based on the Social Representation Theory and presented its key concepts and how representations based on common sense are built. The research is characterized as qualitative and semi-structured interviews were conducted on fourteen students and analyzed using content analysis. The main results of the research indicate that the course is seen by management students as a way of opportunity in the labor market and career advancement. However, it also points to a competitive market, which requires that there be professional skills continuously. The study points out that there are demands which are partially assisted in the formation of managers, especially with regard to the practical aspect of the profession, resulting in a limited view of academics in relation to functions and administrator possibilities of action today.

Reporting on the Opioid Crisis (2000-2018) – the Globe and Mail, Canada’s English Language Paper of Record

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Quan ◽  
Lindsay A. Wilson ◽  
Kumanan Wilson
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Opioid Crisis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
The Media ◽  
Language Content

Abstract Objectives: We aim to describe the general characteristics of how Canada’s newspaper of record – The Globe and Mail, reports on opioid-related news, the opioid crisis and its victims,and explore how Canadians’ perceptions of the opioid crisis could have developed over time.Methods: We searched The Globe and Mailbetween 2000 and 2018. We identified all articles related to the keyword “opioids”. Independently and in duplicate, reviewers extracted qualitative data from articles. The Social Representation Theory was used as a framework for understanding the how the opioid crisis is portrayed in Canada. Results:Our search yielded 554 relevant opioid articles.The number of articles peaked in 2009, 2012, and in 2016, coinciding with major developments in the epidemic. The language used in this discourse has evolved over the years and has slowly shifted towards less stigmatizing language. Content analysis of the articles revealed common social representations attributing blame to pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and foreign countries.It is easy to blame these collectives as this contributes to social representations thatare anchored in thepublic’s predisposed notions.Conclusions:Canadian coverage of the opioid crisis is focused on basic social representations and blame patterns towards a few collectives, a shift towards root causes of the opioid epidemic could positively influence the general public’s perception of the opioid crisis and help reap deeper understanding of the issue. Journalists face several obstacles to achieve greater focus and framing of the opioid crisis, a closer working relationshipbetween the media and the research community is needed.

scholarly journals Social Representations of the Coronavirus at the Beginning of the Pandemic in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 422-444
Author(s):  
Aleksandr I. Dontsov ◽  
Olga Yu. Zotova ◽  
Lyudmila V. Tarasova
Keyword(s):  
Word Association ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Alteration Zone ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Media Impact ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Media ◽  
Two Stages

The coronavirus outbreak is a global event that has bypassed national borders and affected the entire world. Therefore, examining social representations of can reveal the problems that structure peoples experiences in a particular social context. To identify social representations of the coronavirus, the authors conducted a survey within the territory of the Sverdlovsk region. The survey covered the period from March 11 to May 11, 2020. The data were collected in two stages: at the first stage, there were 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Russia, but no cases had yet been recorded in the Sverdlovsk region; at the second stage, the number of cases reached 1952 in the Sverdlovsk region and 221 344 throughout the country. The study used the word association tests, The Semantic Differential Scale (V.F. Petrenko), The Psychic Activation Assessment Methodology (L.A. Kurgan and T.A. Nemchin) and the questionnaire survey techniques. The findings showed that the significance of the coronavirus problem for the respondents varied in different periods of the pandemic. The core of the social representation is sustainable and coherent. It reflects the results of the media impact: death, panic. It also remains stable regardless of the time and involvement of the respondents in the pandemic. The potential alteration zone serves as a kind of taming of knowledge about the coronavirus, the operationalization of the coronavirus perception content into the language of changes in a persons everyday life - the coronavirus pandemic is understood as a flu epidemic and the need for self-isolation is a vacation, an opportunity to stay at home. Observation of the immediate affective reaction of the respondents to the trigger coronavirus uncovered the presence of emotional tension and the prevalence of negative experiences in them. The survey also showed that in the pandemic, being the main source of information and a means of communication, the media set trends for developing perceptions.

scholarly journals Nurses' visibility according to the perceptions of the communication professionals

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligia Fahl Kemmer ◽  
Maria Júlia Paes da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Nursing Profession ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Professional Recognition ◽  
The Social ◽  
Coherent Image ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
The Media

This study aimed to further our understanding of the social representations of nurses and the nursing profession by communication professionals, since they are intermediates in the decoding of imaging and written representations about society. Method: this is a qualitative study, based on the social representation theory of Moscovici. Five communication professionals working on radio, television, written press, advertising and events were interviewed. Results suggest 1) ignorance about the nurse's field of work, job market and nursing profession categorization. 2) nurses' invisibility before the media and society and 3) nurse's own responsibility to obtain professional recognition and visibility. Participants in this study pointed two essential processes for building a more coherent image of nursing and nurses: 1) exposing the profession primarily before the media, which ignores its potentialities, and 2) through the media in order to reach the population in general.

Social Representations of Immigrant Patients: Physicians’ Discourse

2020 ◽  
pp. 104973232097981
Author(s):  
Chatzimpyros Vasileios ◽  
Baka Aphrodite ◽  
Dikaiou Maria
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Human Right ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
Global Increase

With the global increase of migration and the effects of the economic crisis, health systems around the world are facing new challenges. In this context, we investigated the social representations of health provision to immigrant patients, held by physicians. We conducted 40 interviews with Greek physicians working in the public health system, the private health system, the health system in jails, and nongovernmental organizations. Using principles from thematic analysis, results show a social representation of immigrant patients as a burden to the health system. This social representation is constructed by themes focusing on immigrant patients as a group with mental health issues and on the construction of the health system as unable to provide health to noncitizens. Results are discussed in relation to current issues of social exclusion and the need to protect the human right of health.

Commitment to pro- versus counter-attitudinal behavior and the dynamics of social representations

2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Tafani ◽  
Lionel Souchet
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Cognitive Restructuring ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Model ◽  
Social Actions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Dimensional Model ◽  
Students Attitudes

This research uses the counter-attitudinal essay paradigm ( Janis & King, 1954 ) to test the effects of social actions on social representations. Thus, students wrote either a pro- or a counter-attitudinal essay on Higher Education. Three forms of counter-attitudinal essays were manipulated countering respectively a) students’ attitudes towards higher education; b) peripheral beliefs or c) central beliefs associated with this representation object. After writing the essay, students expressed their attitudes towards higher education and evaluated different beliefs associated with it. The structural status of these beliefs was also assessed by a “calling into question” test ( Flament, 1994a ). Results show that behavior challenging either an attitude or peripheral beliefs induces a rationalization process, giving rise to minor modifications of the representational field. These modifications are only on the social evaluative dimension of the social representation. On the other hand, when the behavior challenges central beliefs, the same rationalization process induces a cognitive restructuring of the representational field, i.e., a structural change in the representation. These results and their implications for the experimental study of representational dynamics are discussed with regard to the two-dimensional model of social representations ( Moliner, 1994 ) and rationalization theory ( Beauvois & Joule, 1996 ).

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