Complete Schedule

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)

Keywords

Judgement (Ethics)--Public opinion; Philosophy and science; Religion and science;

Abstract

People’s attitudes toward moral issues are influenced by their religiosity (Noy & O’ Brien, 2016; Whitehead, 2012), as well as by their moral foundations (Haidt & Graham, 2007). Little research, however, has examined how a scientific belief system may influence attitudes. We investigated each of these belief systems (i.e. religion, moral foundations, and science) as predictors of attitudes within six factors -- rape myth acceptance, science, LGBT issues, government skepticism, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die.

241 participants completed a demographics questionnaire, as well as measures of religiosity, belief in science, political orientation, moral foundations, and attitudes toward a variety of social, political, scientific, and economic issues in a random order.

Controlling for other worldviews, people who held more fundamentalist Christian worldviews held less positive attitudes toward science but more positive attitudes toward LGBT issues. Each of the moral foundations except fairness predicted at least one set of attitudes. Purity beliefs predicted more rape myth acceptance and belief in government conspiracies and less positive attitudes toward science, LGBT issues, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die. Controlling for religious worldviews and moral foundations, scientific worldview predicted more positive attitudes toward science, LGBT issues, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die.

We replicated past findings regarding religion and moral foundations, but provided new insight into science as a belief system. By considering science as a belief system rather than a collection of acquired knowledge, researchers can better understand the underlying motivations of moral decision making.

Start Date

4-4-2017 11:00 AM

End Date

4-4-2017 1:30 PM

Faculty Advisor

Helen Harton

Department

Department of Psychology

Comments

Location: Maucker Union Ballroom

File Format

application/pdf

Embargo Date

4-4-2017

Off-Campus Access

Share

COinS
 
Apr 4th, 11:00 AM Apr 4th, 1:30 PM

Science, Religion, and Moral Foundations: Predicting Attitudes Toward Controversial Issues

People’s attitudes toward moral issues are influenced by their religiosity (Noy & O’ Brien, 2016; Whitehead, 2012), as well as by their moral foundations (Haidt & Graham, 2007). Little research, however, has examined how a scientific belief system may influence attitudes. We investigated each of these belief systems (i.e. religion, moral foundations, and science) as predictors of attitudes within six factors -- rape myth acceptance, science, LGBT issues, government skepticism, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die.

241 participants completed a demographics questionnaire, as well as measures of religiosity, belief in science, political orientation, moral foundations, and attitudes toward a variety of social, political, scientific, and economic issues in a random order.

Controlling for other worldviews, people who held more fundamentalist Christian worldviews held less positive attitudes toward science but more positive attitudes toward LGBT issues. Each of the moral foundations except fairness predicted at least one set of attitudes. Purity beliefs predicted more rape myth acceptance and belief in government conspiracies and less positive attitudes toward science, LGBT issues, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die. Controlling for religious worldviews and moral foundations, scientific worldview predicted more positive attitudes toward science, LGBT issues, women’s healthcare rights, and the right to die.

We replicated past findings regarding religion and moral foundations, but provided new insight into science as a belief system. By considering science as a belief system rather than a collection of acquired knowledge, researchers can better understand the underlying motivations of moral decision making.