"Dysrationalia" Among University Students: The Role of Cognitive Abilities, Different Aspects of Rational Thought and Self-Control in Explaining Epistemically Suspect Beliefs.

Nikola Erceg,Zvonimir Galić,Andreja Bubić

doi:10.5964/ejop.v15i1.1696

Nikola Erceg, Zvonimir Galić + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v15i1.1696

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the role that cognitive abilities, rational thinking abilities, cognitive styles and self-control play in explaining the endorsement of epistemically suspect beliefs among university students. A total of 159 students participated in the study. We found that different aspects of rational thought (i.e. rational thinking abilities and cognitive styles) and self-control, but not intelligence, significantly predicted the endorsement of epistemically suspect beliefs. Based on these findings, it may be suggested that intelligence and rational thinking, although related, represent two fundamentally different constructs. Thus, deviations from rational thinking could be well described by the term “dysrationalia”, meaning the inability to think rationally despite having adequate intelligence. We discuss the implications of the results, as well as some drawbacks of the study.

Highlights

The aim of the study was to investigate the role that cognitive abilities, rational thinking abilities, cognitive styles and self-control play in explaining the endorsement of epistemically suspect beliefs among university students
epistemically suspect beliefs (ESB) can be defined as beliefs that are in conflict with common naturalistic conceptions of
The biggest contribution of our study follows from the use of a wide range of instruments for assessment of different aspects of rational thought

Summary

Introduction

The aim of the study was to investigate the role that cognitive abilities, rational thinking abilities, cognitive styles and self-control play in explaining the endorsement of epistemically suspect beliefs among university students. We found that different aspects of rational thought (i.e. rational thinking abilities and cognitive styles) and self-control, but not intelligence, significantly predicted the endorsement of epistemically suspect beliefs. At the same time, a relatively famous Serbian football player came out with the devastating story about black magic spells being cast on his family This one had a happy ending: after they found a striped shirt and burned what was on the inside, exactly what a psychic told him and his family to do, the things luckily went back to normal. They argue that rational thinking abilities are a broader concept than the cognitive abilities, a construct that encompasses intelligence, and some other characteristics such as reflection, open-minded thinking etc. (Stanovich 2009, 2014; Stanovich & West, 2008; Stanovich, West, & Toplak, 2016)

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