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Thinking about Believing: Can Metacognitive Reflection Encourage Belief Updating?
Allison P O'Leary1, Wesley Fletcher1
1Department of Psychology, Brevard College, Brevard, NC 28712, USA.
Journal of Intelligence
|May 24, 2024
Summary
Reflecting on counterevidence can encourage belief updating. While metacognitive reflection showed a trend toward greater belief change, both deep and shallow reflection promoted updating beliefs on human gene modification.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Individuals often maintain their beliefs despite contradictory evidence.
- Belief updating is crucial for cognitive flexibility and rational decision-making.
- Metacognition, or thinking about one's thinking, may influence belief revision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether metacognitive reflection enhances belief updating when confronted with counterevidence.
- To compare the effects of deep metacognitive reflection versus shallow reflection on belief change.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled experiment with 155 participants was conducted.
- Participants rated their agreement with a statement on human gene modification.
- Counterevidence was presented, followed by either metacognitive or shallow reflection tasks.
Main Results:
- Both metacognitive and shallow reflection groups updated their beliefs towards the counterevidence.
- A trend towards greater belief updating was observed in the metacognition group, but it did not reach statistical significance (p = .055).
Conclusions:
- Reflecting on counterevidence, regardless of depth, can promote belief updating.
- Metacognitive reflection shows potential for enhancing belief updating, warranting further investigation.
- Future research should explore the nuances of metacognition in belief revision processes.
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