I don't disagree with the data; it disagrees with me.

This explains so much.
The Scientific Impotence Excuse:Discounting Belief-Threatening Scientific Abstracts

The scientific impotence discounting hypothesis predicts that people resist belief-disconfirming scientific evidence by concluding that the topic of study is not amenable to scientific investigation. In 2 studies, participants read a series of brief abstracts that either confirmed or disconfirmed their existing beliefs about a stereotype associated with homosexuality. Relative to those reading belief-confirming evidence, participants reading belief-disconfirming evidence indicated more belief that the topic could not be studied scientifically and more belief that a series of other unrelated topics could not be studied scientifically. Thus, being presented with belief-disconfirming scientific evidence may lead to an erosion of belief in the efficacy of scientific methods.
But, is "disconfirming' really a word? (Prove it!)

Comments

  1. Yes, since circa 1935 according to dictionary.com.

    Interesting how tightly we cling to our beliefs, we'd rather discount evidence to the contrary than consider changing.

    I wonder if they looked at beliefs with less of a religious/moral component if they'd see a similar effect.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts