March 3, 2026Open Access

An exploratory study of topic-specific variation in epistemic beliefs among psychology students

Key Points

Epistemic beliefs among psychology students vary significantly by topic, suggesting a nuanced understanding is essential.
Key evidence indicates that perceived biological certainty affects these beliefs, highlighting important variances.
Observational analysis reveals how disciplinary labels are less impactful than the characteristics of specific topics in shaping beliefs.
These findings suggest that tailored approaches are crucial for effective epistemological assessments and critical thinking education.

Abstract

Findings confirm that epistemic beliefs are topic-specific within psychology and are driven by topic characteristics (e.g., perceived biological certainty) rather than disciplinary labels. These results highlight the need for granular, topic-specific approaches in epistemological assessments and critical thinking instruction.

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Discussion

Authors

Lynn Adam

Machteld Vandecandelaere

Journals

Frontiers in Psychology

Actions

Institutions

KU Leuven

References and Citations

Connected Papers

Building similarity graph...

Analyzing shared references across papers

An exploratory study of topic-specific variation in epistemic beliefs among psychology students

Key Points

Abstract

Citation Network

Connected Papers

Discussion

Authors

Journals

Actions

Institutions

References and Citations

Citation Network

Connected Papers

Discussion

Cite this study