Research
Current Projects
Effective climate change solutions require understanding human behavior change.
Psychological barriers to climate change solutions arise when we see them as unnatural, risky, unknown, unfamiliar, and lacking benefits. For solutions to be effective, we need to understand how people make decisions in the context of the environment and how human behavior change factors into every part the environmental movement. That's what my work in social/ecopsychology aims to do. Under the mentorship of Dr. Leaf Van Boven, my research seeks to inform policy-makers, innovators, communicators, and stakeholders about how people make decisions about climate change solutions and what drives psychological barriers to solution support.
Naturalness Predicts Decision-making for Alternative Proteins. How does perceived naturalness shape willingness to endorse sustainable protein products? This study examines decision-making mechanisms underlying public evaluations and support of traditional burgers (i.e., grain-fed) vs. new burgers (i.e., cultured meat) in response to growing demands for more sustainable protein sources amidst the climate crisis. Read the project manuscript, Perceived naturalness predicts public support for sustainable protein technology, recently published in Climatic Change.
Naturalness Shapes Support of Technology to Mitigate Climate Change. What decision-making elements are important to consider for public acceptance and endorsement of carbon dioxide removal technology? This study examines the role of perceived naturalness (or how “nature-like” an object is perceived to be) on public support of 6 carbon dioxide removal and 4 low carbon energy technologies in the United States. Implications from this work may be employed by policy-makers, stakeholders, and decision-makers in efforts to develop and deploy technology to address the climate crisis. Manuscript in preparation.
Fluency of Processing Alters Perceived Naturalness of Technology. Do technologies that are easier to process and understand seem more natural, or are technologies that are more natural simply easier for us to process and understand? This study empirically evaluates the impact of fluency of information processing on perceptions of climate change mitigation technologies in the United States. Building upon previous work on risk perceptions and cost-benefit tradeoffs, this work identifies underlying concepts for perceived naturalness across technology contexts.
Is Familiar More Natural? Previous research has shown that we prefer to support things that are more familiar to us. But how does this apply to the way we perceive climate change technologies? This study experimentally examines the effect of familiarity on perceived naturalness and willingness to support climate change mitigation technologies in the United States.
"It's Just Like Nature!": Naturalness Framing Shapes Perceptions of Direct Potable Water Reuse. Cleaning and reusing wastewater (from toilets, showers, and sinks, for example) has been widely accepted for agricultural purposes, but what about for drinking water? Droughts and water shortages resulting from climate change require creative new solutions for water processing. In recent years, direct potable water reuse costs and scalability have advanced, but have been widely met with barriers to public acceptance such as perceived risk, disgust, and moral opposition. This interdisciplinary project examines U.S. decision-makers' perceptions of direct potable water reuse and how naturalness framing - or highlighting the "nature-like" properties of a water processing technology - shapes public perceptions and acceptance of water reuse technologies.
Floods from Climate Change, Time Scarcity, and Psychological Wellbeing. Floods and other natural disasters are becoming more prevalent and severe as climate change progresses. Despite widespread impacts, vulnerabilities and resiliency are not uniform across individuals or communities. While tools such as the Social Vulnerability Index allow for the identification of communities who may be most vulnerable to risks, it provides little insight about psychological well-being, nor impacts to transportation. In partnership with the CU Boulder Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, this project seeks to provide a psychological perspective into cognitive, emotional, and social impacts of natural disasters such as floods in the United States. We assess the role of time scarcity as a contributor to vulnerability and constraint on transportation infrastructure, while highlighting how people make decisions to use time and resources when faced with natural disasters.
Scientific Communication
Publications & Written Contributions
2024
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Carrico, A. R., Inbar, Y., Newton, P., & Van Boven, L. (2024). Perceived naturalness predicts public support for sustainable protein technology. Climatic Change, 177(2), 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-024-03679-5
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Raimi, K., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2024). Natural is Better: Predicting U.S. Public Support of Carbon Dioxide Removal and Renewable Energy Technologies. [Manuscript in preparation].
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Miller Hesed, C., Yocum, H., Roberts, R., Rourke, C. (2024).
Synthesizing Great Plains Social Science: Interdisciplinary Solutions and Responses to Climate Change for Grassland Managers in North Central USA. [Manuscript in preparation].
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Sherman, D., Van Boven, L. (2024). Environmental psychology and public policy. Handbook of Environmental Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. (Under review).
2021
Van Leuvan, N., Fujita, R., & Highleyman, L. (2021). Making Shift Happen: Designing for Successful Environmental Behavioral Change. Gabriola, Canada; New Society Publishers
(Contributor)
2018
Unfried, A., Kirby, A., & Coffin, S. A. (2018, April). Developing a Student Survey of Motivational Attitudes Toward Statistics. Paper presented at the Joint Statistical Meeting Conference 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Speaking Engagements
2024 Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2024, February). Aversion to Tampering with Nature Moderates Public Naturalness Perceptions and Support of Ecotechnology [Symposium Chair; Talk]. Society for Personality and Social Psychology. San Diego, CA, United States.
2023 Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2023, February). Naturalness Perceptions from the Public Shape Sustainable Technology Support [Poster presentation]. Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Sustainability Preconference. Virtual.
Gonzalez Coffin, S. (2023, February). Ecopsychology, Naturalness, & Public Endorsement of Ecotechnology [Guest lecture]. ENVS 1001: Human Dimensions of Environmental Studies. University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2023, May). Naturalness Shapes Support of Sustainable Technology [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science. Washington D.C., United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2023, May). Naturalness Shapes Public Support of Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Technology [Poster presentation]. ARCS Foundation Gala. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Van Boven, L. (2023, August). Natural or Traditional? Effects of Fluency and Familiarity on Evaluations of Sustainable Technologies [Program talk]. Compassion Week. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Miller Hesed, C., Yocum, H., Roberts, R., Rourke, C. (2023, September). Synthesizing Great Plains Social Science: Interdisciplinary Solutions and Responses to Climate Change for Grassland Managers in North Central USA [Conference session]. The Initiative on Climate Adaptation Research and Understanding through the Social Sciences (ICARUS) Conference. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
2022 Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2022, May). Naturalness in Decision-Making: Predicting Support of Eco-Technology [Conference session]. Eckstrand Mini Convention. Boulder, CO, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2022, August). Support of Eco-Technology Associated with Naturalness Perceptions [Conference session]. Compassion Week. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2022, November). Naturalness Perceptions Associated with U.S. Public Support of Sustainable Technology [Conference session]. Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference. Washington D.C., United States.
Gonzalez Coffin, S., Eichhorst, W., Attari, S., Buck, H., Carrico, A., Inbar, Y., Markowitz, E., Newton, P., Schuldt, J., Shrum, T., Van Boven, L. (2022, December). Naturalness Shapes Support of Sustainable Technology [Poster presentation]. Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit. University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States.
2020 Gonzalez Coffin., S. (2022, September). Career Pathways in Psychology [Invited Talk]. California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.
Gonzalez Coffin., S. (2020, February). Lessons from Alumni in the Workforce [Invited Talk]. California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.
2017 Coffin., S. (2017, August). [Conference Talk]. Oregon Sea Grant Summer Research Symposium – Hatfield Marine Science Center, OR, United States.
Coffin., S. (2017, May). [Conference Talk]. TEDdy Talks – California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.
Coffin., S. (2017, May). [Conference Talk]. UROC Research Symposium – California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.
Coffin., S. (2017, May). [Research Competition]. California State University 31st Annual Student Research Competition – California State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States.
2016 Coffin., S. (2016, December). [Conference Session]. UROC Research Symposium. California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.
Coffin., S. (2016, August). [Conference Session]. UROC Research Symposium. California State University, Monterey Bay, CA, United States.