Effects of preexisting beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and need for cognition on interpretation of controversial issues

被引:222
作者
Kardash, CM
Scholes, RJ
机构
[1] Dept. of Educational Psychology, 16 Hill Hall, University of Missouri - Columbia, Columbia
关键词
D O I
10.1037/0022-0663.88.2.260
中图分类号
G44 [教育心理学];
学科分类号
0402 ; 040202 ;
摘要
This study examined the influence of people's beliefs about the certainty of knowledge, the strength of their beliefs about a controversial issue, and their tendency to enjoy effortful thinking on their interpretation of controversial information. Ninety-six undergraduates completed an epistemological beliefs questionnaire (M. Schommer, 1990), the Need for Cognition Scale (J. T. Cacioppo, R. E. Petty, & C. F. Kao, 1984), and indicated the degree to which they believed that HIV causes AIDS. They then read a text that presented two conflicting views regarding the HIV-AIDS relationship and wrote a concluding paragraph for the text. Regression analyses revealed that the less students believed in certain knowledge, the less extreme their initial beliefs, and the higher their need for cognition, the more likely they were to write conclusions that reflected the inconclusive nature of the mixed evidence they read.
引用
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页码:260 / 271
页数:12
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