The Science of Lay Theories (eBook)

How Beliefs Shape Our Cognition, Behavior, and Health

Claire M. Zedelius, Barbara C. N. Müller, Jonathan W. Schooler (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2017 | 1st ed. 2017
XII, 382 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-319-57306-9 (ISBN)

Infos

This timely and important collection broadens our understanding of the ways in which lay theories (also known as folk psychologies, implicit theories, naïve theories, or mindsets) impact our lives and social relations. Moving well beyond lay theories as applied to intelligence and achievement, this volume considers lay theories in an admirably wide context, including perspectives on prejudice, creativity, self-regulation, health, free will, justice, magic, religion and more. Eminent and emerging scholars alike provide a comprehensive overview that presents and synthesizes cutting edge contemporary research on lay theories, spanning social, cognitive, developmental, cultural, and clinical psychology.

Structurally, this volume is organized in three parts. Beginning with a preface by renowned scholar Carol Dweck, the first part looks at the origins and nature of lay theories, and how malleable they are. The second part explores lay theories about common psychological phenomena. The third section discusses lay theories about the metaphysical or supernatural. Finally, the last section explores the important question of how lay theories impact health and health behavior. Taken together, the chapters provide an integrative survey of the science of lay theories, bringing together many perspectives that previously have been studied largely in isolation. This volume is more than the sum of its parts-perspectives from different strands of research provide insights that cut across research disciplines, making novel connections and prompting new directions for this field of study. Shedding light on how our beliefs shape all facets of our lives, The Science of Lay Theories: How Beliefs Shape Our Cognition, Behavior, and Health will appeal to researchers and practitioners in psychology, as well as philosophers, cognitive and developmental neuroscientists, religious scholars, sociologists, and anthropologists.

It is very rare to say of an edited volume of scholarly chapters 'I couldn't put it down!' Yet that was the case with this book. It's not just that I have worked in this field for many years, but rather, with every chapter I felt I was gaining new insights into what, deep down, people really believe and how these beliefs influence their lives-Carol Dweck, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

Dr. Claire Zedelius is working as a postdoctoral researcher in Jonathan Schooler's META (Memory, Emotion, Thought, Awareness) lab. One of her research lines examines the effects of mind wandering or daydreaming on different aspects of creativity. Another line of her research focuses on the roles of meta-awareness and meta-cognitive beliefs in mind wandering. Claire did her dissertation research at the social psychology department at Utrecht University (the Netherlands), where she worked with Henk Aarts studying conscious and unconscious processes in human reward pursuit.

 

Dr. Barbara Müller is an Assistant Professor at the Communication Science department of the Behavioural Science Institute at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. In her work, she investigates the developmental and neurocognitive mechanisms of human/robot interactions, and how these interactions can be improved. Her second line of research focuses on social influence in health communication. She is particularly interested in how people can convince themselves to adopt a healthy lifestyle, instead of being convinced by someone else. Barbara did her dissertation research at Radboud University, where she worked with Rick van Baaren and Ap Dijksterhuis on action co-representation of non-biological actions.

 

Dr. Jonathan Schooler is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California Santa Barbara.  He oversees the META lab and is the Director of UCSB's Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential. Jonathan pursues research on consciousness, memory, the relationship between language and thought, problem-solving, and decision-making. He is particularly interested in exploring phenomena that intersect between the empirical and the philosophical such as how fluctuations in people's awareness of their experience mediate mind-wandering and how people's theories about the mind influence how they behave.  

Inhalt

Foreword 5
Contents 8
Contributors 10
The Origins and Nature of Lay Theories 12
1 The Origins of Lay Theories: The Case of Essentialist Beliefs 13
Psychological Essentialism 14
Cognitive Foundations 17
Developmental Experiences 19
Cultural Settings 21
Social Arrangements 23
Conclusions 24
References 25
2 The Motivated Fluidity of Lay Theories of Change 27
Temporal Stability of Implicit Theories 30
Experimental Malleability of Implicit Theories 31
What Other Factors Affect Implicit Theories of Change and Stability? 32
Motivated Fluidity of Lay Theories? 33
How Self-image Goals May Shape Implicit Theories of Stability and Change 34
How Person-Perception Goals May Shape Implicit Theories of Stability and Change 39
Does Motivation Guide the Adoption of Other Lay Theories of Mutability? 43
Genetic Theories 43
Implicit Theories of Social Mobility 45
Conclusions and Future Directions 47
References 48
Explorations in Lay Theories About Human Psychological Attributes or Phenomena 54
3 Lay Theories of Self-control 55
Measuring Lay Theories of Willpower 57
Do People Experience Ego Depletion Only if They Believe that Willpower Relies on a Limited Resource? 58
Effects of Lay Theories About Willpower in Everyday Life 61
Everyday Self-regulation 61
Personal Goal-Striving and Well-Being 62
Mechanisms 63
Perceived Exhaustion 63
Sensitivity to Cues About the Availability of Resources 64
Activation of a Rest Goal 65
Changes in Self-efficacy 66
Relations Among Mechanisms 66
Boundaries and Possible Negative Consequences 67
Overuse of Resources 67
Interpersonal Consequences 68
Consequences for Parenting 69
Future Directions: Exploring the Antecedents of Willpower Theories 70
Social Learning 70
Cultural Background 71
Interventions 71
Conclusion 72
References 73
4 What Are People’s Lay Theories About Mind Wandering and How Do Those Beliefs Affect Them? 78
Why Lay Theories Matter 79
How Much Mind Wandering Is Normal? 80
Lay Theories About the Meaning of Spontaneous Thoughts 82
Lay Theories About the Controllability of Stimulus-Unrelated Thoughts 83
Lay Theories About Intrusive Thoughts 86
Concluding Remarks and Future Directions 90
References 93
5 Lay Theories of Creativity 101
Lay Theories of Creativity 102
Defining Creativity 103
Lay Theories About the Creative Person 104
Creative Genius 104
Is Creativity Rare? 104
Are Creative People Fundamentally Different? 105
Is Creativity Unlearnable? 106
Creativity and Psychopathology 107
The Role of Approach and Avoidance 108
Creativity and Age 108
Children and Creativity 109
Older Adults and Creativity 109
Lay Theories About the Creative Process 110
Divergent and Convergent Creativity 111
Creativity and Flexibility 112
Does Creativity Come Unexpectedly? 112
Is Creativity Uniquely Human? 113
Is Creativity Only About Generating Ideas? 115
Lay Theories About the Creative Place 116
The Three B’s of Creative Ideas 116
Brainstorming and Group Creativity 117
Freedom and a Lack of Constraints 118
Individual Differences 120
Task Complexity 120
Lay Theories About the Creative Product 121
Is ‘Creativity’ Always Subjective? 121
Consequences of Lay Theories on Creativity 122
Stereotype Threat 122
Lack of Developmental Opportunities 123
Self-selection 124
Conclusion 124
References 125
6 Mindsets About Malleability and Intergroup Relations 133
Mindsets About Malleability 134
Perceivers’ Mindsets, Stereotyping, and Prejudice 137
Categorization 137
Stereotype Formation 139
Stereotype Endorsement 141
Prejudice 141
Lay Theories of Prejudice 143
Summary 145
Targets’ Mindsets and Responses to Stereotyping and Prejudice 145
Social Identity Threat 145
Responses to Overt Prejudice 148
Intergroup Reconciliation 150
Conclusion: A Mindset Approach to Intergroup Relations 153
References 155
7 Effects of Lay Beliefs on the Justice Motive 163
The Belief in a just World 166
Psychological Processes Underlying Victim Blaming 168
A Focus on the Self Versus Others 170
Approach Versus Avoidance Orientation 171
Experiential Versus Rationalistic Processing 172
Evidence for Positive Reactions Following Unjust Events 174
Going Beyond Deservingness 177
Concluding Remarks 178
References 179
Insights into Lay Theories About the Metaphysical or Supernatural 184
8 Antecedents, Manifestations, and Consequences of Belief in Mind–Body Dualism 185
Terminology 186
Mind–Body Dualism 186
Intuitive (or Implicit) Beliefs in Mind–Body Dualism 188
Dualistic Views on Others’ Minds 188
Mind–Body Dualism as Cognitive Default 189
Mind–Body Dualism as a Consequence of Theory of Mind Development 191
Dualistic Views on Our Own Mind 194
Bodily Self-awareness and Dissociation 196
Explicit Beliefs in Mind–Body Dualism 197
Consequences of Belief in Mind–Body Dualism 200
Open Questions and Future Directions 202
References 204
9 Lay Theories of the Mind/Brain Relationship and the Allure of Neuroscience 210
How to Study Lay Theory of Mind/Brain Relation? 211
Overview of the Chapter 212
The Allure of Neuroscience: A Brief History 212
Neuroscience Increases the Appeal of Psychological Explanations 213
Neuroscience Influences Judgments of Responsibility 215
Neuroscience Influences Judgments of Free Will 217
Interlude 219
Folk Beliefs About Brain and Mind 219
Folk Beliefs About Brain and Self 220
The Possibility of Dualism 222
Why Is It Imperative to Understand Lay Theories of Mind/Brain? 223
Summary 226
References 227
10 Causes and Consequences of the Belief in Free Will 231
Cognitive and Social Determinants of the Belief in Free Will 232
Belief in Free Will and Agentive Control 232
Belief in Free Will and Need for Moral Rules 234
The Consequences of Believing or Disbelieving in Free Will 235
Challenging Free Will Affects Social Behavior 235
Cognitive and Neural Consequences of Disbelieving in Free Will 237
Conclusion and Final Remarks: Is Belief in Free Will a Meta-Representation? 240
References 242
11 Religion and Its Cultural Evolutionary By-products 245
PART I: Identifying and Explaining God Beliefs 246
What Is Religion and What Is God? 246
The Cultural Evolution of Big God Beliefs 247
The Cultural Evolution Account 247
Some Evidence for the Cultural Evolution Account 248
A Digression About Priming Religious Beliefs 248
More Evidence for the Cultural Evolution Account 249
PART II: By-products of Culturally Evolved Big Gods Beliefs 251
By-products of Big Gods’ WATCHFUL Nature 252
Watchful Gods and Self-regulatory Ability 252
Watchful Gods and Self-regulatory Will 253
By-Products of Big Gods’ POWERFUL Nature 254
Self-regulation 254
Prosocial Punishment 256
By-products of God’s MORALLY CONCERNED Nature 257
By-products: A Summary 259
Conclusion: Ongoing Cultural Evolution of God Beliefs 259
References 260
12 From the Impossible to the Improbable: A Probabilistic Account of Magical Beliefs and Practices Across Development and Cultures 266
The Developmental Psychological Approach: The Counterintuitiveness of Magic 268
Children’s Conception of Magic 268
Factors in Children’s Judgment of Reality Versus Magical Status 270
Children’s Attribution of Magical Power to Themselves 270
Children’s Wishing and Imagination 270
Children’s Attribution of Magical Power to Other Agents 271
Children’s Understanding of Supernatural Agents 271
Children’s Preferential Learning from a Magical Person 272
The Anthropological Approach: The Ordinariness of Magic 273
Introducing the Anthropological Approach to Magic 273
Magic, Science, and Religion: Debating the Boundaries of Magic 274
Magic in Practice: Three Case Studies 277
Case 1: Succession of Misfortunes 277
Case 2: Unfortunate Relatives and Friends 278
Case 3: Atypical Features Violating Factual Knowledge 279
Magic and the Varieties of Counterintuitions 280
Formalizing Anthropological Data: The Probabilistic Model of Magic 284
Complexity Drop as a Cue to Agency 284
The Complexity Drop Model of the Supernatural (CDMS) 286
Comparing the CDMS with Other Cognitive Models of Magic 289
Epidemiological Versus Doxastic Models of Magic 290
The Hypersensitive Agency Detection Device and the CDMS 291
Probabilistic Models of Magic and the CDMS 292
Toward a Big Picture: Putting Counterintuitive-Magic and Probabilistic-Magic Together 294
Secularization and Explanatory Coexistence: The Persistence of Magic Through History 294
Developmental Psychology and the Anthropological Challenge 298
Counterintuitive-Magic and Probabilistic-Magic Across Development 300
Four Hypotheses About the Developmental Trajectory of Counterintuitive-Magic and Probabilistic-Magic 300
Hypothesis 1: Replacement of Counterintuitive-Magic by Probabilistic-Magic Throughout Development 301
Hypothesis 1 and Hypothesis 2: Decrease of Counterintuitive-Magic Throughout Development 303
Hypothesis 3: Exclusivity of Probabilistic-Magic Throughout Development 304
Hypothesis 4: The Coexistence of Counterintuitive-Magic and Probabilistic-Magic Throughout Development 304
Types of Magic Across Cultures 305
Types and Subtypes of Magic 305
Counterintuitive-Magic in Christian Tradition 307
Probabilistic-Magic in Christian Tradition 307
Counterintuitive-Magic and Probabilistic-Magic in Shipibo Culture 307
Subtypes of Probabilistic-Magic Across Cultures 309
Conclusion 309
Acknowledgements 310
References 310
Investigation of Lay Theories About Mental and Physical Health 317
13 Mindsets of Body Weight 318
Mindsets Overview 319
What Are Mindsets? 319
When Do Mindsets Matter? 320
Why Do Mindsets Matter? 321
Weight-Based Mindsets 322
Weight-Based Mindsets and Self-regulation 323
Weight-Based Mindsets and Stigma 326
Future Directions and Conclusions 329
How Are Weight-Based Mindsets Formed? 329
Can Effort Be Carried Too Far? 330
Cultural Variations? 331
Conclusions 331
References 333
14 Lay Theories and Metaphors of Health and Illness 339
Conceptual Metaphors and Lay Theories 340
Conceptual Metaphors of Health and Disease 342
Bellicose Metaphors and Cancer 342
Machine Metaphors and the Body 345
Awareness of Metaphors in Practice 347
Conclusion 349
References 349
15 How Lay Theories Influence Our Mental Health 353
Attitudes to Mental Illness, MHL and Lay Theories 356
Lay Theories 357
Treatment and Cure 365
The Relationship Between Cause and Cure 368
Conclusion 369
References 370
Index 373

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 14.7.2017
• Zusatzinfo: XII, 382 p. 2 illus.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie
• Schlagworte: allure of neuroscience • Anthropology of Religion • belief in free will • belief in God • belief in magic • ego depletion • Experimental Philosophy • Folk Psychology • Implicit theories • justice motive • lay beliefs about creativity • Metacognition • mindsets • mindsets about intelligence • mindsets about intergroup relations • mind wandering and lay theory • naive theories • nature of willpower • unconscious bias • weight-based mindsets
• ISBN-10: 3-319-57306-3 / 3319573063
• ISBN-13: 978-3-319-57306-9 / 9783319573069