A new measure of psychological misconceptions: Relations with academic background, critical thinking, and acceptance of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims

a r t i c l e i n f o Many studies of psychological misconceptions have used tests with methodological and psychometric shortcomings , creating problems for interpreting individual differences related to misconceptions. To address these problems, we developed the Test of Psychological Knowledge and Misconceptions (TOPKAM), administering it to two samples of psychology students. Results from the first study (N = 162) supported the TOPKAM's internal consistency and showed that the number correct on the TOPKAM was significantly predicted by measures of paranormal belief, faith in intuition, the ability to distinguish scientific fields and practices from pseudoscientific ones, and SAT scores. Also, scores on a measure of critical thinking dispositions in psychology predicted TOPKAM scores. A second study (N = 178) supported the TOPKAM's test–retest reliability at four weeks and showed that TOPKAM scores were significantly predicted by the same critical thinking dispositions measure and also by scores on a test of critical thinking, argument analysis skill. 1.1. Overview of psychological misconceptions The study of misconceptions has become an important and frequently researched topic, partly because of the hope that science education can contribute to the rejection of incorrect but popular ideas. Several studies have shown that misconceptions regarding scientific issues are prevalent (e.g., Crowe & Miura, 1995; Swami et al., 2012). Of particular interest are the many studies suggesting that students are highly susceptible to psychological misconceptions (e. For example, students often believe incorrectly that people with schizophrenia have split personalities and that opposites tend to attract in romantic relationships. Because misconceptions are often resistant to traditional instruction, they are potentially an important obstacle to effective science teaching. Yet, the actual frequency of misconceptions and our understanding of them are limited because most studies assessing misconceptions have used tests with methodological and psychometric shortcomings. The purpose of the present investigation is to report on the development and initial validation of a new psychological misconceptions test designed to remedy some of these problems. As part of its development, we investigated its relationship to several measures expected to be related to individual differences in learning that might further inform us about the nature of psychological misconceptions. Taylor and Kowalski (2004, p. 15) defined misconceptions as " beliefs that are held contrary to known evidence. " In the case of psychological misconceptions, the relevant known evidence is high quality research that supports well-established data and theories about human behavior and …