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

Sun Sep 25 12:03:21 EDT 2011

Here is what I sent David Noise after reading the psych today article for what it's worth.

Hello David- thanks for making the trek yesterday. I'm sure everyone there really appreciated it. Thanks also for sharing the article. Your thesis goes as far as it can, given today's level of knowledge about the brain both neuroscientifically and psychologically. However, I think we'll come to learn that, in fact, belief or disbelief is more "hard-wired" than you suggest. Why do siblings reared in apparently identical environments come to be so different as to their beliefs? Religious indoctrination rings hollow for many, even those who haven't really "thought" about it. I'm not sure that your assumption that Dawkins would "be" a theist in the 13th century and John would still be gay is true. Dawkins may have professed to be theist for many reasons, including fear of being an outlier or lack of evidence against theism, or the powerful effects of groups on individuals. But that doesn't mean he would have  believed  he was a theist. That is, it would not necessarily have felt like a real part of his identity or sense of self. It may not have felt "authentic." It is this notion that, if persuasive, could powerfully help the type of argument you are trying to make in your case- that of identity based litigation. Anyway, just some idle Sat. pm thoughts. Best of luck, Ken
Kenneth M. Selig
kmselig at sbcglobal.net

On Sep 25, 2011, at 10:43 AM, David E Schafer wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
> Science News
> Blog    Cite
> Save  Email  Print  Share Intuitive Thinking May Influence Belief in God
> 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, 
> from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/09/110920121615.htm
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