5 research outputs found
Paranormal Beliefs of Latvian College Students: A Latvian Version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale
Individual differences in paranormal beliefs: The differential role of personality aspects
Unfounded beliefs among teachers: The interactive role of rationality priming and cognitive ability
Previous research suggests that unfounded beliefs (UB)âsuch as conspiracist beliefs and beliefs in the supernaturalâstem from similar cognitive and motivational mechanisms. More specifically, it has been demonstrated that cognitive ability is negatively associated with UB but only among individuals who value epistemic rationality. The present study goes beyond previous correlational studies by examining whether the negative association between cognitive ability and UB can be strengthened through a subtle rationality prime. In a large scale online experiment (N = 762 French teachers), we demonstrate that priming rationality (vs. control) does enhance the negative relationship between cognitive ability and adherence to supernatural beliefs, as well as conspiracy mentality (d = 0.2). This effect was not obtained for illusory pattern perception. This study's usefulness as a âproof of conceptâ for future interventions aimed at reducing UB prevalence among the general public is discussed