The Role of Cognitive Sophistication in Science Capital

Science capital, a collection of science-related forms of capital, promotes access to and utilization of scientific information, which is integral in a time of flourishing anti-science attitudes. Nonetheless, it is not yet known which individual-level characteristics are associated with science capital. The present study links sociological concepts of science capital to the psychological study of individual differences by examining the role of cognitive sophistication in science capital. Participants (n = 146) completed an online survey. To assess cognitive sophistication, we used measures associated with the motivation and/or disposition (i.e., need for cognition, actively open-minded thinking and epistemic curiosity) and ability (i.e., understanding randomness and probability, susceptibility to representativeness and equiprobability heuristics, and performance in Raven's progressive matrices) to reason. These measures were used to predict two aspects of science capital, science self-efficacy and science attitudes, with regression analyses. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that epistemic curiosity was associated with both aspects of science capital, while need for cognition and understanding probabilistic concepts predicted science self-efficacy, and susceptibility to the equiprobability heuristic predicted science attitudes. Additionally, education predicted both science self-efficacy and science attitudes. Taken together, the study indicates that both motivation or disposition and ability to reason are important for science capital. Moreover, the study demonstrates the value of linking sociological and psychological perspectives together to better understand what makes people pro-science.