6533b7ddfe1ef96bd127487b

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Preferential Biases for Texts That Include Neuroscientific Jargon

Marco Elio TabacchiMaurizio Cardaci

subject

AdultMaleSettore M-PSI/01 - Psicologia GeneraleUniversitiesSettore INF/01 - Informatica05 social sciencesNeurosciencespreferential bias neuroscience jargonChoice Behavior050105 experimental psychologyPreferenceYoung Adult03 medical and health sciencesJargon0302 clinical medicineVariation (linguistics)PhenomenonHumansFemale0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesStudentsPsychologySocial psychology030217 neurology & neurosurgeryGeneral Psychology

description

The results of an experiment of preferential biases for texts that include neuroscientific jargon are presented. Such preferential bias has been reported even when the presented jargon is meaningless. In a variation of the well-known Weisberg et al. experiment, a group of undergraduate students ( N = 150; females 48%, males 52%, other 0%; M age = 22.4 year, SD = 2.6) chose between two possible explanations for a psychological phenomenon: a correct explanation or a circular restatement of facts. Unrelated neuroscientific terms were added to one of the explanations. Participants were asked to choose the correct explanation. There was a statistically significant preference for the explanation without neuroscientific terms. These findings differ from Weisberg et al.’s experiment and a number of others. The implications of this discrepancy are discussed.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2016-05-22
10.1177/0033294116649000http://hdl.handle.net/10447/178778