ABSTRACT
Social psychology tells us that personal experiences and social groups influence our perception of new technologies. The case of future flight technologies (FFT), as emerging novel modalities for advanced air mobility, has been capturing the social imagination for decades, with most portrayals in science fiction and futuristic-related contexts. However, comprehensively understanding FFT societal impacts and the responses it provokes from the public remains an understudied and fragmented area of social science research. This chapter proposes to address this crucial gap in social science knowledge by proposing a social psychological multi-methods design framework. In doing so, it will reveal key top-down processes and understanding of perceptions, like stereotypes and heuristics, as well as bottom-up information on individual's perceptions to better understand whether stereotypes are reflective of FFT realities. In applying this framework, it will also elucidate alternative and complementary ways to understand crucial psychological processes behind the formation of public perception, in general, and how individuals and collectives engage with and challenge the adoption of new technologies like FFT, in particular.
