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www.culturalcognition.net What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa Dan M. Kahan Yale University & many x 103 others

Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR)

Science of Science Communication (SSC)

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

Public beliefs: Global warming & human evolution

Public beliefs: Global warming & human evolution

Public beliefs: Global warming & human evolution Below avg. Left_Right Above avg Left_Right N = 730. U.S. Nationally representative sample (June 2016). Annenberg Public Policy Center/Cultural Cognition Project. Brackets reflect 0.95 confidence intervals for estimation of population means. “Above” and “below average Left_right” reflects median split on scale formed by aggregating responses to 5-point liberal-conservative ideology & 7-point party id ( = 0.79).

Public beliefs: Global warming & human evolution Below avg. Left_Right Above avg Left_Right Below avg religiosity Above avg religiosity “true” “true” N = 730. U.S. Nationally representative sample (June 2016). Annenberg Public Policy Center/Cultural Cognition Project. Brackets reflect 0.95 confidence intervals for estimation of population means. “Above” and “below average Left_right” reflects median split on scale formed by aggregating responses to 5-point liberal-conservative ideology & 7-point party id ( = 0.79). N = 1011. U.S. Nationally representative sample (Spring 2014). Annenberg Public Policy Center/Cultural Cognition Project. Brackets reflect 0.95 confidence intervals for estimation of population means. “High” and “Low religiosity” formed by median split on scale formed by aggregating responses to 4-point importance of religion, 6-point church attendance, and 7-point frequency of prayer items ( = 0.88).

SSC on climate change conflict

Bounded rationality thesis

Conservative Republican There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Conservative Republican

Conservative Republican There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Conservative Republican

Conservative Republican There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Conservative Republican Ordinary Science Intelligence Adapted from Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Liberal Democrat Conservative Republican Conservative Republican Conservative Republican Conservative Republican Ordinary Science Intelligence N = 1769. Shaded area denotes 0.95 confidence interval. Adapted from Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

Conservative Republican Conservative Republican There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Liberal Democrat Conservative Republican Conservative Republican Actively Open-minded Thinking (z-score) N = 1547. Shaded area denotes 0.95 confidence interval. Adapted from Kahan, D. M., Corbin, Res. & Politics (2016), doi: 10.1177/2053168016676705

Conservative Republican Conservative Republican There is “solid evidence” of recent global warming due “mostly” to “human activity such as burning fossil fuels.” [agree, disagree] BRT prediction Reality Liberal Democrat Conservative Republican Conservative Republican N = 1769. Brackets denote 0.95 confidence interval. Adapted from Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

Experimental work on politically motivated reasoning

Bounded rationality thesis

Not too little rationality . . .

Not too little rationality but too much

Tragedy of the #scicomm commons

Expressive rationality thesis

Motivated System 2 reasoning (MS2R)

Below avg religiosity Pct. answering “true” Above avg religiosity

CSR: “Natural” vs. “Unnatural” thinking

Evolution belief: Bounded rationality thesis

Evolution disbelief: ERT + MS2

“Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.” (True/false) BRT prediction ERT prediction Probability of “true” Probability of “true” Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

“Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.” (True/false) BRT prediction ERT prediction low religiosity Probability of “true” Probability of “true” high religiosity Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

“Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.” (True/false) BRT prediction ERT prediction low religiosity low religiosity Probability of “true” Probability of “true” high religiosity high religiosity Kahan, D.M. ‘Ordinary science intelligence’: a science-comprehension measure for study of risk and science communication, with notes on evolution and climate change. J. Risk Res. 20, 995-1016 (2017).

MS2 in relation to Ordinary Science Intelligence low religiosity high religiosity N = 1011. Shaded area denotes 0.95 CI. Adapted from Kahan, Kahan, D.M. Climate-Science Communication and the Measurement Problem. Advances in Political Psychology 36, 1-43 (2015).

Distribution of OSI by religiosity r = - 0.14, p < 0.01

Bounded rationality thesis & Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT)

“Religiosity” measures Gervais: STUDY 1: 7-point strength of belief in God & religious upbringing item (binary, yes-no) STUDY 2: 101-point strength of belief in God & 8-point church attendance item

Gervais, study 1 N = 891

Gervais, study 2 N = 670

From Kahan & Stanovich. Rationality & Belief in Evolution, Working paper (2017).

“Religiosity” measures Kahan & Stanovich (2017) (α = 0.86): RELIG_IMP. “How important is religion in your life?” [“Very important”; “Somewhat important”; “Not too important”; “Not at all important”] PRAYER. “People practice their religion in different ways. Outside of attending religious services, how often do you pray?” [:Several times a day”; “once a day”; “A few times a week”; “Once a week”; “A few times a month”; “Seldom”; “Never”] CHURCH_ATTEND. “Aside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services?” [“More than once a week”; “Once a week”; “Once or twice a month”; “A few times a year”; “Seldom”; “Never”]   BORN_AGAIN. “Would you describe yourself as a ‘born-again’ or evangelical Christian, or not?” [“Yes,” “No”]

“Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.” (True/false) low religiosity ∆68%, ± 14% ∆47%, ± 7% Prob. of agreeing high religiosity CRT (No. correct) From Kahan & Stanovich. Rationality & Belief in Evolution, Working paper (2017).

CSR: Bounded rationality & religious belief

Gervais stimuli

CSR: the Expressive rationality alternative

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

The Pakistani Dr. paradox

Cognitive dualism

Cognitive dualism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

Evolution disbelief & cognitive illiberalism

Evolution disbelief & cognitive illiberalism

Evolution disbelief & cognitive illiberalism

What the Cognitive Science of Religion Can Learn from the Science of Science Communication—and Vice Versa SSC CSR: Expressive rationality & MS2 reasoning SSC CSR: Cognitive dualism Prescriptive/normative upshot: Cognitive dualism vs. cognitive illiberalism

CSR: the Expressive/MS2 Alternative What’s next?

CSR: the Expressive/MS2 Alternative What’s next? You tell me

www. culturalcognition.net “I am you!” 63