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Postdiction in Visual Awareness and Intrinsic Religiosity
Author(s) -
Kéri Szabolcs
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1111/cogs.13171
Subject(s) - religiosity , percept , psychology , perception , conviction , social psychology , predictive power , precept , population , cognitive psychology , epistemology , sociology , theology , philosophy , demography , neuroscience , political science , law
The mistiming and fusion of predictive thought and actual perception result in postdiction in awareness, a critical factor in the emergence of nonrational beliefs. Individuals with delusive thinking tend to experience a temporal reversal of prediction (“I guess the rain will fall.”) and real perception (“I feel the rain falling.”), incorrectly showing conviction that their predictions are correct. It is unknown how postdiction is related to religious cognition with a particular reference to intrinsic religiosity when religious beliefs and values are master motives and fundamental frameworks of life. Using a temporal decision‐making task, we investigated a group of religiously committed individuals, atheists, and people from the general community. Results revealed higher postdiction at short thought‐precept time intervals in the intrinsic religious group relative to the atheists. Intrinsic religiosity, but not delusive thinking, was predicted by postdiction in both religious individuals and the general population. These results indicate that people who display pronounced thought‐percept reversal and fusion feel that they are close to a higher power and the sacred.