Epistemological development in adolescence and adulthood: a multidimensional framework

Theories of epistemological development are reviewed. A framework describing variations in adolescents' and adults' intuitive conceptions of knowledge is proposed. Within the proposed framework, naive epistemologies are conceptualized in terms of their assumptions concerning (a) the nature of the knowledge acquisition process, (b) the degree of correspondence between knowledge and reality, (c) the certainty of knowledge, (d) the commensurability of knowledge across individuals, (e) the degree to which knowledge forms or inheres in a coherent system of thought, (f) the nature of meaning, (g) the appropriate procedures for evaluating competing beliefs, (h) the nature and role of authorities as sources of knowledge and justification, and (i) the nature of reality. This framework is used to describe possible developmental changes in adolescents' and adults' concepts of knowledge and to suggest how future researchers might address core issues concerning epistemological development.