Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Preface: Lay theories beyond intelligence, a bigger picture perspective by Carol Dweck
Table of Contents
Part I: The origins and nature of lay theories
Chapter 1. The Origins of Lay Theories: The Case of Essentialist Beliefs
by Nick Haslam
Chapter 2. The Motivated Fluidity of Lay Theories of Change
by Anne E. Wilson and Jaslyn A. English
Part II: Explorations in lay theories about human psychological attributes or phenomena
Chapter 3. Lay Theories of Self-Control
by Veronika Job and Gregory M. Walton
Chapter 4. What are People's Lay Theories about Mind Wandering and How do Those Beliefs Affect Them?
by Claire M. Zedelius and Jonathan W. Schooler
Chapter 5. Lay Theories of Creativity
by Simone Ritter, and Eric Rietzschel
Chapter 6. Mindsets about Malleability and Intergroup Relations
by Aneeta Rattan, and Oriane Georgeac
Chapter 7. Effects of Lay Beliefs on the Justice Motive
by Mich lle Bal, and Kees van den Bos
Part III: Insights into lay theories about the metaphysical or supernatural
Chapter 8. Antecedents, Manifestations, and Consequences of Belief in Mind-Body Dualism
by Matthias Forstmann, and Pascal Burgmer
Chapter 9. Lay Theories of the Mind/Brain Relationship and the Allure of Neuroscience
by Diego Fernandez-Duque
Chapter 10. Causes and Consequences of the Belief in Free Will
by Davide Rigoni, Axel Cleeremans, and Marcel Brass
Chapter 11. Religion and its Cultural Evolutionary By-Products
by Kristin Laurin
Chapter 12. From the Impossible to the Improbable: A Probabilistic Account of Magical Beliefs and Practices Across Development and Cultures
by Martin Fortier and Sunae Kim
Part IV: Investigation of lay theories about mental and physical health
Chapter 13. Mindsets of Body-Weight
by Jeni L. Burnette, Crystal L. Hoyt, and Kasey Orvidas
Chapter 14. Lay Theories and Metaphors of Health and Illness
by David J. Hauser, Randolph M. Nesse, and Norbert Schwarz
Chapter 15. How Lay Theories Influence our Mental Health
by Adrian Furnham
Synopsis
This timely and important collection broadens our understanding of the ways in which lay theories (also known as folk psychologies, implicit theories, na ve theories, or mindsets) impact our lives and social relations. Moving well beyond lay theories as applied to intelligence and achievement, this volume considers lay theories in an admirably wide context, including perspectives on prejudice, creativity, self-regulation, health, free will, justice, magic, religion and more. Eminent and emerging scholars alike provide a comprehensive overview that presents and synthesizes cutting edge contemporary research on lay theories, spanning social, cognitive, developmental, cultural, and clinical psychology.
Structurally, this volume is organized in three parts. Beginning with a preface by renowned scholar Carol Dweck, the first part looks at the origins and nature of lay theories, and how malleable they are. The second part explores lay theories about common psychological phenomena. The third section discusses lay theories about the metaphysical or supernatural. Finally, the last section explores the important question of how lay theories impact health and health behavior. Taken together, the chapters provide an integrative survey of the science of lay theories, bringing together many perspectives that previously have been studied largely in isolation. This volume is more than the sum of its parts--perspectives from different strands of research provide insights that cut across research disciplines, making novel connections and prompting new directions for this field of study. Shedding light on how our beliefs shape all facets of our lives, The Science of Lay Theories: How Beliefs Shape Our Cognition, Behavior, and Health will appeal to researchers and practitioners in psychology, as well as philosophers, cognitive and developmental neuroscientists, religious scholars, sociologists, and anthropologists.
It is very rare to say of an edited volume of scholarly chapters "I couldn't put it down " Yet that was the case with this book. It's not just that I have worked in this field for many years, but rather, with every chapter I felt I was gaining new insights into what, deep down, people really believe and how these beliefs influence their lives--Carol Dweck, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA