Risk Analysis DOI: 10.1111/risa.12141 Disentangling the Influence of Value Predispositions and Risk/Benefit Perceptions on Support for Nanotechnology Among the American Public Jiyoun Kim, 1, * Sara K. Yeo, 1 Dominique Brossard, 1 Dietram A. Scheufele, 1 and Michael A. Xenos 2 Using nanotechnology as a case study, this article explores (1) how people’s perceptions of benefits and risks are related to their approval of nanotechnology, (2) which information- processing factors contribute to public risk/benefit perceptions, and (3) whether individuals’ predispositions (i.e., deference to scientific authority and ideology) may moderate the rela- tionship between cognitive processing and risk perceptions of the technology. Results indi- cate that benefit perceptions positively affect public support for nanotechnology; perceptions of risk tend to be more influenced by systematic processing than by heuristic cues, whereas both heuristic and systematic processing influence benefit perceptions. People who are more liberal-minded tend to be more affected by systematic processing when thinking about the benefits of nanotechnology than those who are more conservative. Compared to less defer- ent individuals, those who are more deferent to scientific authority tend to be less influenced by systematic processing when making judgments about the benefits and risks of nanotech- nology. Implications are discussed. KEY WORDS: Benefit perception; information processing; nanotechnology; risk perception 1. INTRODUCTION Individuals often employ schematic mental shortcuts, or heuristics, when forming attitudes about unfamiliar subjects. (1,2) This is true for issues in emerging technologies. (3) People are “cognitive mis- ers” and only process as much new information as they think is necessary to make a judgment or form an attitude. (4,5) The more one knows about a topic, however, the more likely one is to use new information to make a decision about the is- 1 Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. 2 Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin– Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. ∗ Address correspondence to Jiyoun Kim, Department of Life Sci- ences Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madi- son, WI 53706, USA; jkim294@wisc.edu. sue at hand, a phenomenon known as systematic processing. (1,6) Risk communication scholars have expanded this model to predict how people may pro- cess risk-related information. (7) However, the extent to which individuals systematically process new in- formation or use heuristic cues when judging the benefits and risks related to emerging and, poten- tially controversial, new technologies is still under debate. Building on earlier studies, we examine how heuristic and systematic processing may shape pub- lic risk perceptions for complex scientific innova- tions. Using nanotechnology as a case study, this ar- ticle explores how people’s risk/benefit perceptions are related to their approval of nanotechnology. We also explore information-processing factors, which contribute to public risk/benefit perceptions and ex- amine whether individuals’ predispositions, such as 1 0272-4332/13/0100-0001$22.00/1 C  2013 Society for Risk Analysis