Wesley Wildman, Connor Wood, Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Aimee S. Radom, Nicholas DiDonato Psychology of Religion Abstract: The Multidimensional Religious Ideology (MRI) scale is a new 43-item measure that quantifies conservative versus liberal aspects of religious ideology. The MRI focuses on recurring…
In 2017, CMAC Researchers Jonathan Morgan, Connor Wood, and Catherine Caldwell-Harris published their paper “Reflective Thought, Religious Belief, and the Social Foundations Hypothesis” as a chapter in the book The New Reflectionism edited by Gordon Pennycook. In 2021, AI bots…
After a winter break hiatus, CMACers are back to the grindstone. We had our first research meeting of 2019 on Wednesday, February 20, and heard from guest presenter and BU Psychology Masters student Khushboo Patel about her work with CMAC…
7th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion August 12 – 15, 2018 It’s been a busy week of CMACer presentations & participation. Here’s a full listing of all that we were up to at…
Are religious people less analytical thinkers? A growing body of research suggests that the answer is “yes.” For one thing, religious believers perform more poorly on tests of analytical (“System 2”) intelligence, instead showing a preference for intuitive thinking styles…
Post-Doctoral Fellow Connor Wood and Research Director Catherine Caldwell-Harris Journal of Cognition and Culture April 27, 2018 Abstract: Synchrony — intentional, rhythmic motor entrainment in groups — is an important topic in social psychology and the cognitive science of religion. Synchrony…
Research Director Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Post-Doctoral Fellow Connor Wood and Doctoral Fellow Jonathan Morgan Chapter in The New Reflectionism in Cognitive Psychology: Why Reason Matters December 2017 Abstract: Analytical thinking predicts irreligiosity across paradigms and contexts. Explanations for this association have included…
Research Associate Catherine Caldwell-Harris Annual Meeting of the Psychonomics Society, Chicago IL USA 2015 Abstract: AYŞE AYÇIÇEĞIDINN and SEVIL HOCAOĞLU, Istanbul University, CATHERINE CALDWELL-HARRIS, Boston University (presented by Catherine Caldwell-Harris). — Having an analytical cognitive style is correlated with reduced religiosity, possibly because analysis prompts…
Research Associate Catherine Caldwell-Harris Religion, Brain and Behavior April 27, 2012 Abstract: A compelling body of scholarship exists which proposes that religious and spiritual beliefs exist in every human society because they reflect fundamental aspects of evolved human nature. This raises…
Research Associate Catherine Caldwell-Harris, Founding Director Patrick McNamara and Co-Authors The 33rd Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society Boston Massachusetts, 2011 Abstract: The cognitive science of religion is a new field which explains religious belief as emerging from normal…
Research Associate Catherine Caldwell-Harris and Co-Authors Mental Health, Religion & Culture October 12, 2010 Abstract: Atheists are America’s least trusted group, and stereotypes about them abound: Atheists are non-conformist, sceptical, cynical, and joyless, rarely experiencing awe. Atheists (N = 42) were recruited from…