Psychological Distance to Science as a Predictor of Science Skepticism Across Domains.

ABSTRACT: This article presents and tests psychological distance to science (PSYDISC) as a domain-general predictor of science skepticism. Drawing on the concept of psychological distance, PSYDISC reflects the extent to which individuals perceive science as a tangible undertaking conducted by people similar to oneself (social), with effects in the here (spatial) and now (temporal), and as useful and applicable in the real world (hypothetical distance). In six studies (two preregistered; total N = 1,630) and two countries, we developed and established the factor structure and validity of a scale measuring PSYDISC. Crucially, higher PSYDISC predicted skepticism beyond established predictors, across science domains. A final study showed that PSYDISC shapes real-world

SUBMITTER: Veckalov B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10676051 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature