Scientific reasoning as a predictor of health-related beliefs and behaviors in the time of COVID-19
Year: 2020
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We examined whether scientific reasoning predicts health-related beliefs and behaviors over and above the general analytic thinking ability in general public (N = 783, aged between 18 – 84 years). Health-related beliefs included: the anti-vaccination attitudes, conspiracy beliefs related to the COVID-19 disease, and some generic epistemically suspect beliefs related to health. Scientific reasoning predicted generic pseudoscientific and conspiracy beliefs related to health and also conspiracy beliefs related specifically to COVID-19. Crucially, scientific reasoning was a stronger independent predictor of unfounded beliefs (including anti-vaccination attitudes) than general analytic thinking, however, its role in the health-related behaviors was more modest.
Source: OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3093939680