Peta Callaghan

Area of Research

Discursive Psychology – Climate change narratives

Awards

2008 University Medal, Southern Cross University

Psychology Research Interests

My research interests cover all areas where environmental issues and social responses, including policy, interact. My current research, which is the focus of my PhD, utilizes a mixed methodological approach to investigate public understandings of anthropogenic climate change. My research takes as its primary focus the different ways in which the community understands anthropogenic climate change. Climate change scepticism in particular is considered one available narrative that has had a discernable social and political impact in Australia, and arguably around the world. Research that may better understand how scepticism towards anthropogenic climate is constructed in discourse, and the impact of its prevalence in the community, will provide valuable insight into how such narratives may be countered in policy or any government response, for effective mitigative action on climate change.

Publications

Callaghan, P., Moloney, G. & Blair, D. (in submission). Contagion in the representational field of water-recycling: Informing new environment practice through social representation theory. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology .