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The impact of epistemological beliefs and cognitive ability on recall and critical evaluation of scientific information

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Abstract

Scientific research findings are frequently picked up by the mainstream media, but it is largely unclear which factors have an impact on laypeople’s processing of the presented scientific information. In this study, we investigated the influence of cognitive and metacognitive inter-individual differences on recall and on critical evaluation of new scientific information that was presented in a journalistic article. Sixty-three participants (80 % female; mean age 24.1 ± 3.3 years) read a newspaper article reporting research findings on a recently developed and yet unproven treatment for depression. We found that more sophisticated, domain-specific epistemological beliefs and a higher cognitive ability were independently associated with better recall of content from the article. Additionally, participants with more sophisticated epistemological beliefs displayed a more critical evaluation of the article. Cognitive ability was unrelated to critical evaluation and to epistemological beliefs. There were also no interaction effects of cognitive ability and epistemological beliefs on recall or on critical evaluation. Based on our preliminary findings and previous evidence of epistemological beliefs as a modifiable feature, we discuss this inter-individual characteristic as a potential target for the promotion of better understanding of scientific topics by the general public.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported here was funded by a Grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research awarded to Joachim Kimmerle and Ulrike Cress (Grant No. 01GP1306B).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Knowledge Construction Lab, Leibniz-Institut fuer Wissensmedien, Schleichstr. 6, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Insa Feinkohl, Danny Flemming, Ulrike Cress & Joachim Kimmerle

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany

    Ulrike Cress & Joachim Kimmerle

  3. Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Robert-Roessle-Str. 10, 13092, Berlin, Germany

    Insa Feinkohl

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  1. Insa Feinkohl
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  2. Danny Flemming
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  3. Ulrike Cress
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  4. Joachim Kimmerle
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Correspondence to Insa Feinkohl.

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Handling Editor: Marta Olivetti Belardinelli, Sapienza University of Rome.

Reviewers: Kenneth J. Kurtz, Binghampton University, USA; R.V. Krishnaiah, DRK Institute of Science and Technology, Hyderabad, India.

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Feinkohl, I., Flemming, D., Cress, U. et al. The impact of epistemological beliefs and cognitive ability on recall and critical evaluation of scientific information. Cogn Process 17, 213–223 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0748-z

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