The development of a multisensory program for the dissemination of the beneficial applications of the nuclear technology

Abstract

Despite all peaceful applications of nuclear technology, it is still addressed with prejudice. Prejudices may be explicit (conscious) or implicit (unconscious). However, either explicit or implicit, they interfere with individuals’ behavior and attitudes. Prejudices against any theme may be reduced and even reversed by new learning on the theme. Multisensory techniques have proven to make learning richer and more motivating. This work aims to present the development of a multisensory program designed for learning about the beneficial applications of nuclear technology and compare this program to a 12-week traditional teaching program with lecture classes about the nuclear technology. The multisensory program was held at the Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN) for a group of teachers. Assisted tours to the IEA-R1 and to the Centro da Tecnologia das Radiações (CTR) as well as a coffee break serving a variety of commercially-available foods containing irradiated ingredients were part of the multisensory approach. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was administered before and after the program to identify and measure the implicit associations towards the nuclear technology. This multisensory program was compared to a 12-week traditional teaching program with lecture classes about the nuclear technology held at IPEN. Unlike the multisensory program, the IAT results from the traditional program demonstrated that the lecture classes were not effective for changing the implicit associations. The multisensory program was an effective tool for changing the implicit associations and can be useful for disseminating the beneficial applications of the nuclear technology.