Using a \"sledgehammer\" approach to increase systems thinking with a brief manipulation

Systems thinking is a skill that is essential to understanding and taking effective action on complex challenges such as climate change. This research evaluated whether systems thinking could be increased with a brief intervention. Participants (N = 678) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk all completed the Systems Thinking Scale (Randel & Stroink, 2018), which was used as a covariate. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Some participants (n = 165) watched an entertaining 5-minute video describing systems thinking with a real-life example (Cats in Borneo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BP9n6g1F0). Others (n = 174) watched this video, read a definition of systems thinking, and were asked to engage in systems thinking while completing a survey. This was designed to be a \"sledgehammer\" condition, in which we made our manipulation as heavy-handed as possible. A third (control) condition (n = 167) watched a video about how to fold a fitted sheet...., Participants were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. All participants were adults living in the United States. 
We gave 10 different measures that capture some aspect of systems thinking:
The Systems Thinking Scale (Randle & Stroink, 2018):
This 15-item self-report scale measures someone's dispositional tendency to engage in systems thinking. Negatively worded items were recoded, and all items were averaged together. Higher scores = more systems thinking. This trait measure was given at the start of the study and was used as a covariate.
The Murder Scenario (Choi et al., 2007):
Participants read a brief description of a murder case and indicated which of 96 possible facts were irrelevant to the case. We recoded the items such that 1 = relevant, 0 = irrelevant. The recoded items were summed together. Choosing more items indicates more holistic thinking about causality.
Ripple Effect Question: Driver Scenario:
Based on measures developed by Maddux & Yuki (2006). Participan..., , # Using a \"sledgehammer\" approach to increase systems thinking with a brief manipulation

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw75b](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw75b)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data appear in the file DataForIncreasing STWithBriefManipulation.csv. Variable descriptions and values appear in the file MetaDataForIncreasing STWithBriefManipulation.csv. 

### Files and variables

#### File: DataForIncreasingSTWithBriefManipulation.csv

**Description:** Raw data that has not been published. The data file was generated in SPSS but exported to csv format for accessibility. Each row corresponds to a single participant. Missing data occurred when online participants failed to complete a question. Missing data is indicated with an empty field.

##### Variables

| Variable | Position | Label ...,