Tensions Between Science and Intuition Across the Lifespan

The scientific knowledge needed to engage with policy issues like climate change, vaccination, and stem cell research often conflicts with our intuitive theories of the world. How resilient are our intuitive theories in the face of contradictory scientific knowledge? Here, we present evidence that intuitive theories in 10 domains of knowledge—astronomy, evolution, fractions, genetics, germs, matter, mechanics, physiology, thermodynamics, and waves—persist more than four decades beyond the acquisition of a mutually exclusive scientific theory. Participants (104 younger adults, Mage = 19.6, and 48 older adults, Mage = 65.1) were asked to verify two types of scientific statements as quickly as possible: those that are consistent with intuition (e.g., “the moon revolves around the Earth”) and those that involve the same conceptual relations but are inconsistent with intuition (e.g., “the Earth revolves around the sun”). Older adults were as accurate as younger adults at v...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2016
• Where: TOPICS
• Authors: Andrew Shtulman, Kelsey Harrington
• Keywords: TOPICS 2016