Conditional reflection and the Religion Reflection Scale: How familiarity with different domains influences cognitive reflection
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: A host of research has shown that those who are nonreligious tend to outscore those who are religious on measures of intelligence and cognitive reflection. The prevailing explanation for this phenomenon is that nonreligious people are more adept at overriding their initial intuitions, thus leading to their increased skepticism of intuitive supernatural beliefs. However, the argument is raised in this investigation that the current measures of cognitive reflection in the field may not encapsulate the totality of dual-process thinking. Just as math students outperform upper-level psychology students on measures of cognitive reflection related to their discipline (Study 1), so, too, may religious individuals outperform nonreligious individuals on measures of cognitive reflection relating to their discipline of familiarity: religion (Study 2). While support for this second hypothesis was wanting, special considerations should be given to find measures of cognitive reflection that appeal to the unique experiences of specific groups in question.
Author: Jacob Strimaitis
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2801162350