Social representations as a proposal for the study of the social perception of science and technology: A conceptual and methodological approach

Abstract

Given the growing need to understand the relationship between S & T and society, various approaches have emerged that have allowed us to study this phenomenon in order to create public policies of science and technology according to the context. In this sense, scientific literacy and public understanding of science are highlighted, which are currently interested in scientific and technological culture. This field of study, together with its approaches and methodologies, is called the social perception of science and technology (PSCyT), referring to the process and mechanisms of social communication and the impact of these on the formation of contents, attitudes and expectations of the members of society about science and technology. For some years, the way in which these types of perceptions have been addressed and analyzed has led to problems such as the lack of representativeness of small or concrete population groups and indirectly perpetuates the vertical relationship of science towards citizenship by the type of categories and instruments used. In this sense, it is proposed to use the theory of social representations of Moscovici, in conjunction with the proposal by Abric, as a theoretical and methodological way to address this situation and, thus, to qualify the discourse according to the sociocultural frameworks of these groups.