The cognitive science of belief : a multidisciplinary approach / edited by Julien Musolino, Rutgers University, New Jersey, Joseph Sommer, Rutgers University, New Jersey, Pernille Hemmer, Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Musolino, Julien, editor.

Sommer, Joseph (Psychologist), editor.

Hemmer, Pernille, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Belief and doubt.

Belief and doubt--Social aspects.

Cognition.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 614 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2023.

Summary:

Beliefs play a central role in our lives. They lie at the heart of what makes us human, they shape the organization and functioning of our minds, they define the boundaries of our culture, and they guide our motivation and behavior. Given their central importance, researchers across a number of disciplines have studied beliefs, leading to results and literatures that do not always interact. The Cognitive Science of Belief aims to integrate these disconnected lines of research to start a broader dialogue on the nature, role, and consequences of beliefs. It tackles timeless questions, as well as applications of beliefs that speak to current social issues. This multidisciplinary approach to beliefs will benefit graduate students and researchers in cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, and religious studies.

Contents:

Cover

Half-title

Title page

Copyright information

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

List of Contributors

Chapter 1 Introduction: Toward a Cognitive Science of Belief

1.1 Introduction

1.2 What Are Beliefs?

1.3 A Cognitive Perspective on Beliefs

1.4 The Mechanics and Functions of Beliefs

1.4.1 The Mechanics of Beliefs

1.4.2 The Functions of Beliefs

1.5 The Practical Difficulty of Belief

1.5.1 Epistemic Trade-offs

1.5.2 Computational Constraints

1.5.3 Effects Of Prior Knowledge

1.5.4 A Final Note on Irrationality

1.6 The Cognitive Science of Belief

References

Part I Understanding Belief

Philosophical and Linguistic Approaches to Beliefs

Chapter 2 The Cognitive Science of 'Belief' (The Word)

2.1 What This Is About

2.2 First Approximation

2.3 The Character of the Proposition

2.3.1 Three Puzzles

2.3.2 Grammatical Parallel with Depictions

2.3.3 Analysis of Depictions

2.3.4 Solution to the Puzzles for Depictions

2.3.5 Solution to the puzzles for 'Beliefs'

2.4 Alternatives to Commitment

2.5 Commitment to Actions

2.6 Commitment to Norms

2.7 Conclusions

Chapter 3 The Science of Belief: A Progress Report

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Philosophical Models of Belief

3.3 Belief in Cognitive Science: An Overview

3.3.1 Placebo Effects and Reward Prediction Error Learning

3.3.2 Attribution Theory

3.3.3 Theory of Mind

3.3.4 Belief in Comparative Cognition

3.3.5 Belief in Cognitive Science: A Midterm Report

3.4 The Science of Belief: Belief Acquisition, Storage, Change

3.4.1 Belief Acquisition

3.4.2 Belief Storage

3.4.3 Belief Change

3.4.4 Beliefs and the Structure of Thought: Bayesianism and Implicit Attitudes

3.5 Future Directions for the Empirical Study of Belief

3.6 Conclusion

References.

Chapter 4 The Role of Context in Belief Evaluation: Costs and Benefits of Irrational Beliefs

4.1 Human Agency and Irrationality

4.2 Irrationality and Mental Health

4.3 The Optimistic COVID-19 Victim

4.4 The Domestic Violence Victim and the Role of Context

4.5 Irrational Beliefs: Something to Fight Against or Something to Embrace?

Models of Optimal Beliefs

Chapter 5 How and Why Does Schematic Knowledge Affect Memory?

5.1 Schematic Knowledge and Its Role in Episodic Memory

5.2 Understanding Why Schematic Knowledge Affects Episodic Memory Retrieval

5.2.1 Rational Analysis

5.2.2 A Bayesian Model of Reconstructive Memory

5.3 Connecting Rational Analysis with Recent Empirical Findings on Schematic Knowledge

5.3.1 Temporal Dynamics of Schematic Influence on Episodic Memory

5.3.2 The Effect of Schematic Knowledge on Atypical Items

5.3.3 When Schematic Knowledge Hampers Episodic Memory

Chapter 6 Probability, Belief, and the Richness of Cognition

Implicit vs Explicit Beliefs

Chapter 7 Intuitive and Reflective Beliefs

7.1 Intuitive Beliefs

7.2 Reflective Attitudes

7.3 Reflective Beliefs

7.4 Disquotational Incontinence

7.5 Representational Capacity

7.6 Intuitive and Reflective Concepts

7.7 Believing the Same Thing Twice

7.8 Summary

Chapter 8 Intuitive and Reflective Beliefs in a Modern World

8.1 Psychological Underpinnings of Intuitive and Reflective Beliefs

8.2 On The (Almost) Overlooked Beneficial Effect of Intuitive Beliefs

8.3 Primary and Secondary Beliefs in Reasoning and Learning

8.4 Conclusion

Evolutionary Psychology of Beliefs

Chapter 9 Do Cultural Misbeliefs Cause Costly Behavior?

9.1 Intuitive and Reflective Beliefs.

9.2 How to Tell Whether Cultural Misbeliefs Are Intuitive or Reflective

9.3 Diverse Misbeliefs, Common Costly Behaviors

9.4 Consequences of Holding Intuitive vs Reflective Beliefs

9.4.1 Rumors

9.4.2 Conspiracy Theories

9.5 Conclusion

Chapter 10 Cultural Evolutionary Psychology of Belief

10.1 Introduction

10.2 (Cultural) Evolutionary Psychology

10.2.1 Standard Evolutionary Psychology

10.2.2 Toward a Cultural Evolutionary Psychology of Belief

10.2.3 Cultural Evolutionary Forces

10.3 Case Studies

10.3.1 Religious Belief Systems

10.3.2 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs

10.3.3 Summary

10.4 Merits of a Cultural Evolutionary Psychology

10.4.1 Competing and Interacting Forces of Cultural Evolution

Part II Domains of Beliefs

Religion and Morality

Chapter 11 Religious Beliefs

11.1 Introduction: Religion Is Nothing Special

11.2 Supernatural Imagination

11.3 The Cognitive Status of Religious Beliefs

11.4 Varieties of Religions (I): Non-Doctrinal Traditions

11.4.1 What Are Non-Doctrinal Religions About?

11.5 Varieties of Religions (II): Doctrinal Religions

11.6 Belief Statements as Signals

11.7 Conclusion

Chapter 12 Essentialist Views of Criminal Behavior Predict Increased Punitiveness

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Study 1

12.2.1 Method

12.2.2 Results

12.2.3 Discussion

12.3 Study 2

12.3.1 Method

12.3.2 Results

12.3.3 Discussion

12.4 Study 3

12.4.1 Methods

12.4.2 Results

12.4.3 Discussion

12.5 General Discussion

12.6 Conclusions

Appendix

A.1 Essentialism of Criminality Scale

Economics and Politics

Chapter 13 Political Belief Formation: Individual Differences and Situational Factors

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Motivated Reasoning

13.2.1 Directionally Motivated Reasoning.

13.2.2 Accuracy Motivation and Reflection

13.3 Individual Differences in Reflective Reasoning

13.4 Situational Factors

13.5 Questions for Future Research

Chapter 14 Americans' Lack of Political Beliefs and the Consequences for Democracy

14.1 Introduction

14.2 The Formation of Political Beliefs

14.3 Updating Beliefs in Response to Information

14.3.1 The Role of Elite Influence

14.3.2 Susceptibility to Bias and Elite Influence

14.3.3 A Place for Emotions

14.4 Group-Based Influences on Political Beliefs

14.4.1 Race and Ethnicity

14.4.2 Party Polarization

14.5 The Consequences for Democracy

14.6 Conclusion

Chapter 15 Thoughts and Players: An Introduction to Old and New Economic Perspectives on Beliefs

15.1 Introduction

15.2 The Economic Account of Beliefs

15.2.1 A Historical Diversion

15.3 Belief-Based Utility

15.3.1 The Evolutionary Origins of Caring about Beliefs and a Fundamental Problem

15.3.2 A Brief History of Belief-Based Utility

15.4 Sources of Belief-Based Utility

15.4.1 Beliefs about Future Outcomes and Anticipatory Emotions

15.4.2 Beliefs about the Self and Ego-Utility

15.4.3 The Value of Intra-Personal Consistency of Beliefs

15.5 Utility From Other People's Beliefs

15.5.1 The Role of Others' Beliefs in Economic Models

15.5.2 ''Direct'' Concerns about Others' Beliefs

15.5.3 The Evolutionary Origins of Caring about Others' Beliefs

15.6 Consequences of Belief-Based Utility

15.6.1 Information Avoidance

15.6.2 Biased Information Processing

15.6.3 Intertemporal Choice: Choosing between the Present and the Future

15.6.4 Decision Making under Risk and Uncertainty

15.6.5 Overconfidence and Overoptimism

15.6.6 Social Consequences: Ideological Conformity and Segregation by Beliefs

15.7 Applications.

15.7.1 Politics: News Consumption, Misinformation, and Polarization

15.7.2 Finance: Portfolio Choice and Investor Behavior

15.7.3 Healthcare: Medical Testing, Health Insurance, and Vaccination

15.7.4 Organizational Behavior: Employee Effort and Managerial Decisions

15.8 Concluding Remarks

15.8.1 Final Comments

Science and Race

Chapter 16 How Intuitive Beliefs Inoculate Us against Scientific Ones

16.1 Introduction

16.2 Interfering Intuitions

16.2.1 Origins of Intuitive Theories

16.2.2 Hallmarks of Intuitive Theories

16.3 The Case of Projectile Motion

16.3.1 Historical Precedence

16.3.2 Widespread Prevalence

16.3.3 Resistance to Counterevidence

16.3.4 Maladaptive Consequences

16.3.5 Enduring Resilience

16.4 The Case of Evolutionary Adaptation

16.4.1 Historical Precedence

16.4.2 Widespread Prevalence

16.4.3 Resistance to Counterevidence

16.4.4 Maladaptive Consequences

16.4.5 Enduring Resilience

16.5 Why Intuitive Theories Matter

16.5.1 Theoretical Implications

16.5.2 Pedagogical Implications

16.5.3 Social Implications

16.6 Conclusion

Chapter 17 COVID-19: Conspiracies and Collateral Damage vs Constructive Critique

17.1 Climate Change and COVID-19

17.2 COVID-19, Civil Liberties, and Lived Experiences

17.3 Collective vs Individual Optimality

17.4 Science vs Denial

17.5 Recommendations

17.6 Conclusions and Outlook

Chapter 18 Believing in Race vs Knowing Ourselves

18.1 Introduction

18.2 Seeing Race in Every Face

18.2.1 Race and Intelligence

18.2.2 Race and Medicine

18.2.3 Race and Sports

18.3 Reason For Hope

Part III Variation in Beliefs

Pathological Beliefs

Chapter 19 Delusions

19.1 Introduction

19.2 Explaining Delusion Formation

19.3 What Shape Is the Mind?.

19.3.1 Modularity versus Penetrability.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 03 Nov 2022).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781009007474

1009007475

9781009008242

1009008242

9781009001021

1009001027