[Hac-announce] Thinking style explains variations in belief in God according to recent studies

[David E Schafer]

Post hoc isn't necessarily propter hoc.  What we have here is a correlation. 
Maybe in some sense belief in gods causes a more "intuitive" approach.

Here's what I mean:  Take the baseball and bat problem.  Anybody who has 
been taught analytical math/algebra would/should get the right answer.  So 
experience counts here.  By the same token, in a culture that assumes the 
existence of god(s) people are educated/trained to think first in those 
terms.  Habits ingrained by culture/environment are not the same thing as 
genuine intuition, innate thoughts.

David


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Manny Ratafia" <manny at ratafias.com>
To: <hac-announce at cthumanist.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2011 10:03 AM
Subject: [Hac-announce] Thinking style explains variations in belief in God 
according to recent studies


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920121615.htm


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ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2011) - Intuition may lead people toward a belief in 
the divine and help explain why some people have more faith in God than 
others, according to research published by the American Psychological 
Association.

In a series of studies, researchers at Harvard University found that people 
with a more intuitive thinking style tend to have stronger beliefs in God 
than those with a more reflective style. Intuitive thinking means going with 
one's first instinct and reaching decisions quickly based on automatic 
cognitive processes. Reflective thinking involves the questioning of first 
instinct and consideration of other possibilities, thus allowing for 
counterintuitive decisions.
"We wanted to explain variations in belief in God in terms of more basic 
cognitive processes," researcher Amitai Shenhav said. "Some say we believe 
in God because our intuitions about how and why things happen lead us to see 
a divine purpose behind ordinary events that don't have obvious human 
causes. This led us to ask whether the strength of an individual's beliefs 
is influenced by how much they trust their natural intuitions versus 
stopping to reflect on those first instincts."

The research was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: 
General. The study from the Harvard University Psychology Department was 
conducted by Shenhav, a doctoral student; post-doctoral fellow David Rand, 
PhD; and associate professor Joshua Greene, PhD.

In the first part of the study, 882 U.S. adults, with a mean age of 33 and 
consisting of 64 percent women, completed online surveys about their belief 
in God before taking a cognitive reflection test. The test had three math 
problems with incorrect answers that seemed intuitive. For example, one 
question stated: "A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 
more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?" The automatic or intuitive 
answer is 10 cents, but the correct answer is 5 cents. Participants who had 
more incorrect answers showed a greater reliance on intuition than 
reflection in their thinking style.

Participants who gave intuitive answers to all three problems were 1 ½ times 
as likely to report they were convinced of God's existence as those who 
answered all of the questions correctly. That pattern was found regardless 
of other demographic factors, such as the participants' political beliefs, 
education or income. "How people think -- or fail to think -- about the 
prices of bats and balls is reflected in their thinking, and ultimately 
their convictions, about the metaphysical order of the universe," the 
journal article stated.

Participants with an intuitive thinking style also were more likely to have 
become more confident believers in God over their lifetimes, regardless of 
whether they had a religious upbringing. Individuals with a reflective style 
tended to become less confident in their belief in God. The study also found 
that this pronounced link between differing thinking styles and levels of 
faith could not be explained by differences in the participants' thinking 
ability or IQ. "Basic ways of thinking about problem solving in your 
everyday life are predictive of how much you believe in God," Rand said. 
"It's not that one way is better than the other. Intuitions are important 
and reflection is important, and you want some balance of the two. Where you 
are on that spectrum affects how you come out in terms of belief in God."

In another study, with 373 participants, the researchers found they could 
temporarily influence levels of faith by instructing participants to write a 
paragraph describing a personal experience where either intuitive or 
reflective thinking led to a good result. One group was told to describe a 
time in their lives when intuition or first instinct led to a good outcome, 
while a second group was instructed to write about an experience where a 
good outcome resulted from reflecting and carefully reasoning through a 
problem. When they were surveyed about their beliefs after the writing 
exercise, participants who wrote about a successful intuitive experience 
were more likely to report they were convinced of God's existence than those 
who wrote about a successful reflective experience.

These studies suggest a causal link between intuitive thinking and a belief 
in God, but the researchers acknowledged the opposite may also be true, that 
a belief in God may lead to intuitive thinking. Future research will help 
explore how cognitive styles are influenced by genes and environmental 
factors, such as upbringing and education, Rand said.

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Story Source:

  The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily 
staff) from materials provided by American Psychological Association, via 
EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journal Reference:

  1.. Amitai Shenhav, David G. Rand, and Joshua D. Greene. Divine Intuition: 
Cognitive Style Influences Belief in God. Journal of Experimental 
Psychology: General, 2011
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American Psychological Association (2011, September 20). Intuitive thinking 
may influence belief in God. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 25, 2011, 
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