Predictive degree of attitudes toward research in pseudoscientific beliefs among Peruvian university students

Pseudosciences are defined as beliefs or practices that claim to be scientific but lack scientific validity. Identifying the predictors that contribute to belief in pseudoscience is crucial.

This study aims to determine the predictive strength of attitudes toward research in relation to belief in pseudoscience among university students.

A sample of 3125 university students was selected using non-random convenience sampling. These students were assessed using the Research Attitudes Scale (ATRS) and the Pseudoscientific Beliefs Test (PSEUDO-R). Ordinary least squares (OLS) and robust linear regression (RLM) were applied to evaluate predictive power.

Both statistical models were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The RLM model performed best, with a pseudo-R² of 0.2398, indicating that attitudes toward research explain 23.98% of the variance in pseudoscientific beliefs. Furthermore, the predictive capacity of the dimensions of attitudes toward research on pseudoscientific beliefs was determined; therefore, an RLM model was applied, which proved statistically significant (p < 0.05) with a pseudo-R² of 0.4335.

The findings show that attitudes toward research predict the emergence of pseudoscientific beliefs. This opens possibilities for future studies involving multiple regression models.