We investigate how people form attitudes and make decisions without having extensive knowledge about a technology. We argue that it is impossible for people to carefully study all technologies they encounter and that they are forced to use inferences to make decisions. When people are confronted with an intangible abstract technology, the only visible attribute is the name. This name can determine which inferences a person will use. Considering these inferences is important: first, a name will reach consumers before detailed information, if any, will. Second, if detailed information reaches consumers, the hard-to-comprehend information is processed using pre-activated attitudes and beliefs. Using the available literature, we explore the impact a name can have on the interpretation of a technology. We argue that science communication can benefit from trying to develop a name for a technology that activates proper beliefs to guide non-experts to a more meaningful understanding of it.

我们研究人们如何在不具备广泛的技术知识的情况下形成态度并做出决策。我们认为，人们不可能仔细研究他们遇到的所有技术，并且被迫使用推论来做出决策。当人们面对一种无形的抽象技术时，唯一可见的属性就是名称。这个名字可以决定一个人将使用哪些推论。考虑这些推论很重要：首先，名称将先于详细信息（如果有）到达消费者手中。其次，如果详细的信息到达消费者手中，那么难以理解的信息就会被预先激活的态度和信念所处理。利用现有文献，我们探讨了名称对技术解释的影响。我们认为，尝试为一种技术命名，激活正确的信念，引导非专家对其进行更有意义的理解，可以使科学传播受益。