Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs
Usually, non-experts do not possess sufficient deep-level knowledge to make fully informed evaluations of scientific claims. Instead, they depend on pertinent experts for support. However, previous research has shown that the easiness by which textual information on a scientific issue can be underst...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678313/full |
| _version_ | 1818596847276523520 |
|---|---|
| author | Lisa Scharrer Rainer Bromme Marc Stadtler |
| author_facet | Lisa Scharrer Rainer Bromme Marc Stadtler |
| author_sort | Lisa Scharrer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Usually, non-experts do not possess sufficient deep-level knowledge to make fully informed evaluations of scientific claims. Instead, they depend on pertinent experts for support. However, previous research has shown that the easiness by which textual information on a scientific issue can be understood seduces non-experts into overlooking their evaluative limitations. The present study examined whether text easiness affects non-experts’ evaluation of scientific claims even if they possess prior beliefs about the accuracy of these claims. Undergraduates who strongly believed that climate change is anthropogenic read argumentative texts that were either easy or difficult to understand and that supported a claim either consistent or inconsistent with their beliefs. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that text easiness affects non-experts’ judgment of scientific claims about which they hold prior beliefs—but only when these claims are in accordance with their beliefs. It seems that both text difficulty and belief inconsistency remind non-experts of their own limitations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:38:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d08db7a09e0641ffa429240ddba2a443 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:38:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d08db7a09e0641ffa429240ddba2a4432022-12-21T22:33:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-08-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.678313678313Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior BeliefsLisa Scharrer0Rainer Bromme1Marc Stadtler2Department of Educational Science, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Muenster, Muenster, GermanyDepartment of Educational Science, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyUsually, non-experts do not possess sufficient deep-level knowledge to make fully informed evaluations of scientific claims. Instead, they depend on pertinent experts for support. However, previous research has shown that the easiness by which textual information on a scientific issue can be understood seduces non-experts into overlooking their evaluative limitations. The present study examined whether text easiness affects non-experts’ evaluation of scientific claims even if they possess prior beliefs about the accuracy of these claims. Undergraduates who strongly believed that climate change is anthropogenic read argumentative texts that were either easy or difficult to understand and that supported a claim either consistent or inconsistent with their beliefs. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that text easiness affects non-experts’ judgment of scientific claims about which they hold prior beliefs—but only when these claims are in accordance with their beliefs. It seems that both text difficulty and belief inconsistency remind non-experts of their own limitations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678313/fullpublic understanding of scienceknowledge evaluationscience comprehensioneasinessprior beliefsbelief consistency |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Scharrer Rainer Bromme Marc Stadtler Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs Frontiers in Psychology public understanding of science knowledge evaluation science comprehension easiness prior beliefs belief consistency |
| title | Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs |
| title_full | Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs |
| title_fullStr | Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs |
| title_short | Information Easiness Affects Non-experts’ Evaluation of Scientific Claims About Which They Hold Prior Beliefs |
| title_sort | information easiness affects non experts evaluation of scientific claims about which they hold prior beliefs |
| topic | public understanding of science knowledge evaluation science comprehension easiness prior beliefs belief consistency |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678313/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lisascharrer informationeasinessaffectsnonexpertsevaluationofscientificclaimsaboutwhichtheyholdpriorbeliefs AT rainerbromme informationeasinessaffectsnonexpertsevaluationofscientificclaimsaboutwhichtheyholdpriorbeliefs AT marcstadtler informationeasinessaffectsnonexpertsevaluationofscientificclaimsaboutwhichtheyholdpriorbeliefs |