@inproceedings{61d6ebc53f4e4a228a90df4b5e26dfe4,
title = "Analytical Thinking Predicts Less Teleological Reasoning and Religious Belief",
abstract = "Individual differences in reflectiveness have been found to predict belief in God. We hypothesize that this association may be due to a broader inclination for intuitive thinkers to endorse teleological explanations. In support of our hypothesis, we find that scientifically unfounded teleological explanations are more likely to be endorsed by intuitive compared to analytical thinkers, and that those who endorse teleological explanations are more likely to have religious beliefs.",
keywords = "causal reasoning, cognitive reflection test, cognitive style, religious belief, teleological explanations",
author = "Zemla, {Jeffrey C.} and Steiner, {Samantha M.} and Steven Sloman",
note = "Funding Information: This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from The Varieties of Understanding Project at Fordham University and The John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Varieties of Understanding Project, Fordham University, or The John Templeton Foundation. We would like to thank Amitai Shenhav for helpful discussion and Deborah Kelemen for sharing her experimental stimuli used for the teleological reasoning task. We would also like to thank Daniela Lopez and Cristina Ballarini for their excellent research assistance. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2016. All rights reserved.; 38th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Recognizing and Representing Events, CogSci 2016 ; Conference date: 10-08-2016 Through 13-08-2016",
year = "2016",
language = "English (US)",
series = "Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2016",
publisher = "The Cognitive Science Society",
pages = "1217--1222",
editor = "Anna Papafragou and Daniel Grodner and Daniel Mirman and Trueswell, {John C.}",
booktitle = "Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2016",
}