Determined to conform: Disbelief in free will increases conformity

Alquist, Jessica L.; Ainsworth, Sarah E.; Baumeister, Roy F.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.08.015

Cited by 115 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The concept of free choice develops very early on in life (Kushnir, 2012;Kushnir, Wellman, & Chernyak, 2009;Nichols, 2004) across cultures (Chernyak, Kushnir, Sullivan, & Wang, 2013), with behavioral implications as early as preschool (Chernyak & Kushnir, 2014). People who believe in free will learn better from their own mistakes and misdeeds , have higher perceived ability and positive attitudes toward decision making (Feldman, Baumeister, & Wong, 2014), enjoy greater self-efficacy and suffer less from helplessness (Baumeister & Brewer, 2012), show more honest behavior (Vohs & Schooler, 2008), demonstrate higher levels of autonomy and report higher willingness to exert effort (Alquist, Ainsworth, & Baumeister, 2013), show stronger motivations for career success and exhibit better job performance , and are more futureoriented (Seligman, Railton, Baumeister, & Sripada, 2013). The belief in free will has even been shown to affect the fundamental processes of agentic volition , such as increased voluntary motor preparation (Rigoni, Kühn, Sartori, & Brass, 2011), better suppression of automatic pain reactions (Lynn, Van Dessel, & Brass, 2013), and more efficient neural reactions to errors (Rigoni, Pourtois, & Brass, 2014;Rigoni, Wilquin, Brass, & Burle, 2013).…”

Section: Belief In Free Willmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The belief in free will encompasses the perceptions of human volitional capabilities and serves as an evolved mechanism for directing independent action in a complex social environment (Alquist et al, 2013;Baumeister & Monroe, 2014) such as that of college. Those who believe in free will are motivated to pursue long-term functional goals (Seligman et al, 2013;Stillman et al, 2011) and show more consideration for the consequences of their actions.…”

Section: Belief In Free Will and Academic Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The freedom to excel: Belief in free will predicts better academic performance

Feldman

Chandrashekar

Wong

2016

Personality and Individual Differences

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Increasing evidence supports the importance of beliefs in predicting positive outcomes in life. This study examines the performance implications of the belief in free will as an abstract, philosophical belief that views the self as free from internal and external constraints and capable of choosing and directing one's own path. In Study 1 (N = 116, undergraduates), belief in free will was associated with higher performance on an academic proofreading task. In Study 2 (N = 614, undergraduates), we examined performance in real academic settings, and the belief in free will measured at the beginning of the semester predicted better course and semester grades at the end of the semester. Importantly, we found support for the distinctive contribution of the belief in free will in comparison to well-established predictors of academic performance -trait selfcontrol and implicit theories. We conclude that individual differences in the endorsement of the belief in free will are a significant and unique predictor of academic achievement.Keywords: academic performance; belief in free will; beliefs; task performance The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of research that recognized the importance of beliefs as predictors of academic achievement (Hong, Chiu, Dweck, Lin, & Wan, 1999;Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Beliefs have been identified as essential components of selfconcept as they affect sense-making and shape the meaning given to all aspects of life, and therefore play a crucial role in guiding behavior (Dweck, 2008). People differ in their beliefs, and these differences hold the potential for predicting differences in behavior and outcomes (Dweck, 2014). This is especially true for undergraduates attending college because students often face difficult challenges and important choices under intense pressure to perform.Academic performance is dependent on the ability to change, adapt, make difficult decisions, and learn from mistakes, yet these are rooted in associated beliefs that change is controlled and choice is free.A promising direction in social psychology and experimental philosophy explores agency-related philosophical beliefs and focuses on views regarding free will and determinism.People differ in their beliefs regarding the human capacity for choice; some view their behaviors and lives as a consequence of their own agentic free choice, whereas others believe that they are deterministically guided by internal factors that are beyond their control, such as their upbringing, personality, or genetics, or by externals factors such as God, nature, science, or fate (Baumeister, 2008). This abstract philosophical belief in free will encompasses a broad view of the person as an active agent who is capable of choosing one's own path, planning for long-term

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Section: Belief In Free Willmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Belief In Free Will and Academic Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

The freedom to excel: Belief in free will predicts better academic performance

Feldman

Chandrashekar

Wong

2016

Personality and Individual Differences

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“…Psychologists have more recently joined the fray. While some researchers have tried to shed empirical light on the debate concerning whether we have free will, typically concluding that we do not (e.g., Bargh, 2008;Harris, 2012;Libet, 1999;Wegner, 2002), others have focused instead on exploring our beliefs about free will and the role they play in our daily lives (e.g., Alquist, Ainsworth, & Baumeister, 2013;Bergner & Ramon, 2013;Haynes, Rojas, & Viney, 2003;Nettler, 1959;Nettler, 1961;Ogletree & Oberle, 2008;Pronin & Kugler, 2010;Schooler, Nadelhoffer, Nahmias, & Vohs, in press;Stroessner & Green, 1990;Viney, Parker-Martin, & Dotten, 1988;Viney, Waldman, & Barchilon, 1982;Waldman, Viney, Bell, Bennett, & Hess, 1983). Each of these two projects is interesting and important in its own right.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The free will inventory: Measuring beliefs about agency and responsibility

Nadelhoffer

Shepard

Nahmias

et al. 2014

Consciousness and Cognition

167

214

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a b s t r a c tIn this paper, we present the results of the construction and validation of a new psychometric tool for measuring beliefs about free will and related concepts: The Free Will Inventory (FWI). In its final form, FWI is a 29-item instrument with two parts. Part 1 consists of three 5-item subscales designed to measure strength of belief in free will, determinism, and dualism. Part 2 consists of a series of fourteen statements designed to further explore the complex network of people's associated beliefs and attitudes about free will, determinism, choice, the soul, predictability, responsibility, and punishment. Having presented the construction and validation of FWI, we discuss several ways that it could be used in future research, highlight some as yet unanswered questions that are ripe for interdisciplinary investigation, and encourage researchers to join us in our efforts to answer these questions.

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“…In correlational investigations, researchers have often used self-reported questionnaires to measure laypersons’ belief in free will (e.g., the FAD-Plus; Paulhus and Carey, 2011) and then correlate it with other measures. These studies have found that a stronger belief in free will is associated with better work performance (Stillman et al, 2010), better academic achievement (Feldman et al, 2016), less conformity (Alquist et al, 2013), and less cheating behavior (Vohs and Schooler, 2008). In experimental investigations, researchers often ask participants to read texts that encourage disbelief in free will and then observe the changes in participants’ behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Freedom to Pursue Happiness: Belief in Free Will Predicts Life Satisfaction and Positive Affect among Chinese Adolescents

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2017

Front. Psychol.

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A small amount of research has examined the association between the belief in free will and subjective well-being (SWB) among Western laypersons from individualist cultures. However, no study has examined this association among participants from collectivist cultures (e.g., Eastern Asian cultures). Therefore, in this study, we explored this association among two large, independent cohorts of Chinese adolescents (N1 = 1,660; N2 = 639; high school students). The belief in free will was measured by a self-reported questionnaire (Cohorts 1 and 2) and a two-alternative forced choice question regarding the existence of free will (Cohort 2). SWB included cognitive well-being (life satisfaction) and affective well-being (positive and negative affect) in both cohorts. Data analyses indicated that a stronger belief in free will was consistently associated with higher life satisfaction and positive affect in both cohorts. Our investigation provides evidence supporting the cultural generality of the positive effects of believing in free will on SWB.

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Determined to conform: Disbelief in free will increases conformity

Cited by 115 publications

References 28 publications

The freedom to excel: Belief in free will predicts better academic performance

The freedom to excel: Belief in free will predicts better academic performance

The free will inventory: Measuring beliefs about agency and responsibility

The Freedom to Pursue Happiness: Belief in Free Will Predicts Life Satisfaction and Positive Affect among Chinese Adolescents

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