When it Comes to Accepting Evolution, Gut Feelings Trump Facts

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/evolutiongut.htm

[font face=Times, Serif][font size=5]When it Comes to Accepting Evolution, Gut Feelings Trump Facts[/font]

[font size=3]COLUMBUS, Ohio – For students to accept the theory of evolution, an intuitive “gut feeling” may be just as important as understanding the facts, according to a new study.

In an analysis of the beliefs of biology teachers, researchers found that a quick intuitive notion of how right an idea feels was a powerful driver of whether or not students accepted evolution—often trumping factors such as knowledge level or religion.

“The whole idea behind acceptance of evolution has been the assumption that if people understood it – if they really knew it – they would see the logic and accept it,” said David Haury, co-author of the new study and associate professor of education at Ohio State University.

“But among all the scientific studies on the matter, the most consistent finding was inconsistency. One study would find a strong relationship between knowledge level and acceptance, and others would find no relationship. Some would find a strong relationship between religious identity and acceptance, and others would find less of a relationship.”

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tea.20449

[valerief]

1. So they need a gut feeling to believe in mutated rhinoviruses, too? nt

[MarkCharles]

2. Nice link..

I wonder what a few very true believers would do with this news.


“It’s a concrete way to show them, look—you can be fooled and make a bad decision, because you just can’t deny your gut.”

I think a large part of theistic belief systems are structured upon a knowledge of a way to appeal to the emotions, the "gut".

[Jim__]

3. I would be curious as to why their gut doesn't "believe."

Apparently, based on the article, their gut feel is not based on religion or previous education. So, why do some students have a gut feeling that evolution is wrong? The old saw is that seeing is believing. I wonder if there is some way to demonstrate evolutionary concepts in the classroom that would make it more believable for these students.