Week 7 - Religion & Cognition

Believe

Used in religious contexts, e.g., belief in God.

Think

Used for factual statements, e.g., weather predictions.

Text analysis

Study of word usage in context, especially religion.

Religiosity

Involves beliefs, service attendance, and participation.

What did Zuckerman et al. (2013) find about the correlation between intelligence measures and religiosity?

Intelligence measures correlated negatively with religiosity (rs = -.20 to -.23) not explained by education

Intelligence Measures

GPA, college entrance exams, etc.

Religiosity Measures

Belief, service attendance, etc.

Intelligent people...

less likely to conform to religion as intelligence overlaps with analytical thinking

System 1 processing

Intuitive, automatic, faith-based thinking.

System 2 processing

Analytical, rational, and deliberative thinking.

Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT)

Measures analytical thinking through problem-solving tasks.

Analytical thinking (CRT)

related to lower religious belief

Gervais & Norenzayan (2012)

Study on belief and analytical thinking, with mixed results.

Intrinsic religiosity

Personal, internal motivation for religious beliefs.

Extrinsic religiosity

External motivations for religious participation.

Quest religiosity

A search for meaning and understanding in religion.

Literal religiosity

Interpreting religious texts at face value.

Symbolic religiosity

Interpreting religious texts metaphorically.

Head over heart beliefs

Balancing rational thought with emotional experience in religion.

Epistemic rationality

Valuing evidence-based skepticism in beliefs.

Credibility Enhancing Displays

Beliefs reinforced by social and cultural practices.

Terror management strategies

Coping mechanisms among atheists regarding mortality.

Autism and religion

Investigates religious beliefs in individuals on the spectrum.

Mentalizing

Ability to understand others' perspectives and emotions.