How do beliefs in free will and determinism correlate with beliefs in conspiracy, paranormal, and pseudoscience beliefs?

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Alper S., KONUKOĞLU K., Atalay E. D., Duzgun A., Yilmaz O.

Personality and Individual Differences, cilt.229, 2024 (SSCI) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 229
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112765
  • Dergi Adı: Personality and Individual Differences
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, PASCAL, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, Communication Abstracts, EBSCO Education Source, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Conspiracy, Determinism, Free will, Paranormal, Pseudoscience, Unpredictability
  • Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

In this study, we tested the relationship between personal agency beliefs, represented by free will, scientific and fatalistic determinism and unpredictability, and epistemically suspect beliefs (ESBs), including conspiracy, paranormal, and pseudoscience beliefs, across two different cultures (Türkiye and the UK). In two preregistered studies (NStudy 1 = 682, NStudy 2 = 532), we proposed and found correlational evidence for the idea that although seemingly contradictory, both forms of determinism—scientific and fatalistic—might lead individuals to feel a reduced control over their actions, prompting them towards simpler explanations offered by ESBs, thereby compensating for a diminished sense of agency. The relationship between free will, unpredictability, and ESBs varied by culture, likely influenced by the cultural interpretation of those beliefs. Our results underscore the link between personal agency and ESBs, suggesting that ESBs may act as a safeguard against eroding personal agency.