On the belief that beliefs should change according to evidence- Implications for conspiratorial, moral, paranormal, political, religious, and science beliefs

Summary of Findings

Overview

• Title: On the belief that beliefs should change according to evidence

• Authors: Gordon Pennycook, James Allan Cheyne, Derek J. Koehler, Jonathan A. Fugelsang

• Focus: Investigating the impact of an actively open-minded thinking style about evidence (AOT-E) on beliefs, values, and opinions.

• Total Participants: 1,692 across studies conducted via Mechanical Turk and Lucid for Academics.

Key Concepts

• Actively Open-minded Thinking about Evidence (AOT-E): Refers to the belief that one should change their beliefs based on new evidence. AOT-E is inversely associated with conspiracy beliefs, traditional values, and supportive of scientific beliefs.

• Correlations Found:

  • Negative Correlation with:

    • Extrasensory perception

    • Respect for tradition

    • Abortion

    • God belief

  • Positive Correlation with:

    • Anthropogenic global warming

    • Free speech support on campuses

• Political Implications: Higher AOT-E is associated with political liberalism and skepticism towards traditional moral values and certain conspiracy theories.

Belief Revision Dynamics

• People’s beliefs about when and how to change beliefs (meta-beliefs) significantly influence their actual beliefs.

• Socio-cognitive theories need to consider meta-beliefs regarding evidence interaction with one’s political ideologies.

Cognitive Perspectives on Reasoning

• Rational Decision-Making: Traditionally believed that rational thought leads to accurate belief formation.

• Motivated Reasoning: Evidence suggests humans often protect existing beliefs, highlighting cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and identity protective cognition.

• Reasoning may not always lead to accurate or sound judgments, as humans sometimes think more like lawyers (advocating for a claim) than philosophers (seeking truth).

• Dual-Process Theories: Suggest a distinction between intuitive (often biased) and analytical reasoning processes.

Research Findings

• Study 1 Findings: High AOT-E participants were less likely to endorse conspiracy, paranormal, and religious beliefs while more likely to support scientific concepts.

• Study 2 and 3: Confirmed predictive validity of AOT-E across various beliefs and showcased that it is significantly more predictive among liberals compared to conservatives.

• Political Orientation: Engagement in AOT-E aligns with liberal views across multiple social and political issues compared to conservative perspectives.

Methodology Insights

• Each study included a range of belief scales, including conspiracy beliefs, paranormal beliefs, moral beliefs, political orientations, and science acceptance.

• Participants rated their agreement on an array of statements related to these topics to provide a comprehensive view of AOT-E’s relevance.

Limitations and Future Research

• The study is correlational; thus, causation cannot be definitively established.

• The potential for sampling bias is recognized, especially concerning political ideologies, as predominantly liberal participants may skew results.

• Further experimental studies are recommended to elucidate the causal relationships between AOT-E and belief systems.