Search

The article is a response to a review of the article "Notes on 'Revisiting the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis: A Meta-Analysis of Thirty-Five Years of Research,'" which appears in this issue of the journal and was written by Cecilie Gaziano.

This knowledge gap meta-analysis examines (a) average effect size of the gap, (b) impact of media publicity, and (c) moderators of the gap. Positive correlation between education and level of knowledge (t = .28) was found, with no differences in the size of the gap (a) over time and (b) between issues of higher and lower publicity. However, gap magnitude was moderated by topic, setting, knowledge measure, and study design, but not by publication status, country, and sampling method. Relatively smaller gaps were found for (a) health-science topics compared to social-political topics and (b) local/personal issues compared to international issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensation seeking, a trait that has been invoked by public health campaign scholars as a targeting variable, also holds promise for informal science education professionals who seek to engage social networks in their promotion efforts. The authors contend that sensation seeking should positively predict talk about science, even alter controlling for often-cited predictors such as education, relevant employment, perceived understanding of science, perceived relevance of science, and attitude toward science. Data from a random digit dial telephone survey (N = 667) supported the authors' hypothesis. The authors note connections to the science communication and opinion leadership literatures and encourage future work in this vein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a letter to the editor in response to the article "Avian Influenza and US TV News," by Brian G. Southwell et al, which appeared in a 2006 issue.