Lessons from the field: Isn't it just common sense? Naïve realism as a barrier to learning

May combine two claims.

Rejection of science based on a common sense understanding of the world contributed to rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine, which worsened the pandemic considerably.

“Recently, this rejection of science based on a common sense understanding of the world contributed to rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine, a rejection that worsened the pandemic considerably (Lin et al., 2021).”

• cites Lin et al., 2021 sourcePartly supported

  Section 4.1 (page unavailable) links denial of vaccination, described as disregarding scientific evidence, to weaker intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Section 1.3 mentions philosophical objections, but the paper does not identify a common-sense understanding of the world as the cause. It warns that vaccine denial could make herd immunity difficult; it does not establish that vaccine rejection had already worsened the pandemic considerably. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

The quote only partly states this claim.

In stepwise linear regression, the final model predicting average exam score included only GPA and belief that HDFS is just common sense (adjusted R2 = .183, F(2,104) = 12.860, p < .0001).

“Stepwise linear regression with average exam score as the outcome variable yielded a final model with only two predictor variables (adjusted R 2 = .183,F(2,104) = 12.860, p < .0001).”

• Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · plain

  “Only GPA and the belief that HDFS is common sense predicted mastery of course content in a rigorous research methods course in HDFS.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The Learning Needs Survey item validly measures students' belief that HDFS is just common sense.
• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Exam scores validly measure mastery of course content or learning.
• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Students' self-reported answers on the Learning Needs Survey accurately reflect their beliefs and circumstances.
• AssumptionRests on an assumption: GPA reflects prior academic achievement.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The research methods class has a high fail rate, true across multiple instructors and several years, with fail rate ranging between 20% and 40% and averaging about 30%.

“The class has a high fail rate, true across multiple instructors and for several years.The fail rate for the class has ranged between 20% and 40% in recent years, with an average of about 30%.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Naïve realism is the tendency for people to believe their own observations are obviously correct because they believe they see the world objectively and without subjective bias, and that others will arrive at the same conclusions unless they are ignorant or biased.

“Naïve realism is the tendency for people to believe their own observations are obviously correct because they believe that they see the world objectively and without subjective bias, and that others will obviously arrive at the same conclusions about the world unless they are ignorant or biased (Ross & Ward, 1996).”

• cites Ross & Ward, 1996Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

Naïve realism tends to exacerbate group conflict and inflate political polarization by overestimating bias and extremity in the other group.

“Naïve realism tends to exacerbate group conflict because people overestimate the bias present in the other group and magnify the extremity of the other group's position; this leads to inflated political polarization (Robinson et al., 1995).”

• cites Robinson et al., 1995 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Common sense beliefs are difficult to let go because they feel right and obvious, and this sense of certainty is a product of hindsight bias.

“Common sense beliefs are very difficult to let go of because they feel so right, so obvious.This sense of certainty, or “obviousness,” is a product of the hindsight bias (Watts, 2011;Wong, 1995).”

• cites Watts, 2011Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Wong, 1995 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

When students believe they have been objective and unbiased observers of their own life experience and have arrived at conclusions they believe are clearly evident, they will not see any reason to question the truth of their common sense.

“When students believe that they have been objective and unbiased observers of their own life experience and have arrived at conclusions that that they believe are clearly evident, then they will not see any reason to question the truth of their common sense.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Dependence on common sense could be a reflection of naïve realism.

“That dependence on common sense could be a reflection of naïve realism.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

The role of naïve realism as a barrier to learning is likely especially pronounced in HDFS, where students have a sense of familiarity with the topic that promotes confidence in false beliefs.

“The role of naïve realism as a barrier to learning is likely to be especially pronounced in HDFS, where students have a sense of familiarity with the topic that promotes a confidence in false beliefs.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The discipline is moving away from calling itself family studies toward family science because of the emphasis on scientific foundations.

“The emphasis on the scientific foundations of the discipline is also the reason that the discipline is moving away from calling itself “family studies” toward “family science” (Hans, 2014).”

• cites Hans, 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The vast majority of undergraduate programs in HDFS in the United States require at least one research methods class.

“The vast majority of undergraduate programs in HDFS in the United States require at least one research methods class (Hamon & Smith, 2014).”

• cites Hamon & Smith, 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

GPA and grade are both measures of academic achievement and indicators of the same construct.

“Both are measures of academic achievement, and so are indicators of the same construct.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

Common sense may serve as a barrier to learning specifically or especially in HDFS because the discipline is deeply grounded in the study of the everyday lives of ordinary people.

“It may be that common sense serves as a barrier to learning specifically, or especially, in HDFS because the discipline is so deeply grounded in the study of the everyday lives of ordinary people.”

May combine two claims.

Common sense can be wrong, and prior knowledge including common sense sometimes gets in the way of learning.

“But common sense can be wrong, and naïve realism prevents people from even considering that possibility.”

• Also stated in: § Common sense and naïve realism · hedged

  “In other words, prior knowledge, including common sense, is sometimes wrong, and it gets in the way of learning.”

• cites Chabris & Simons, 2010Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Lilienfeld, 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

A solid grounding in empirical evidence is considered a foundational principle of family life education.

“In fact, a solid grounding in empirical evidence is considered a foundational principle of family life education, the applied profession affiliated with HDFS (Darling et al., 2017).”

• cites Darling et al., 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The relationship between GPA and grade is unsurprising because prior grades are typically the best predictor of future grades.

“The relationship between GPA and grade is unsurprising, as prior grades are typically the best predictor of future grades (e.g., Crowther & Briant, 2021;Gortner Lahmers & Zulauf, 2000).”

• cites Crowther & Briant, 2021Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Gortner Lahmers & Zulauf, 2000Not checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Resistance to science when it conflicts with beliefs derived from personal experiences is developmentally normal but creates a barrier to learning.

“A resistance to science when it conflicts with beliefs derived from personal experiences is developmentally normal, but creates a barrier to learning (Bloom & Weisberg, 2007).”

• cites Bloom & Weisberg, 2007 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

The sample of 112 students is representative of the HDFS program at this university.

“This sample is representative of the HDFS program at this university.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Exams were objective indicators of learning and excluded other sources of points that reflect participation rather than mastery of course content.

“Exams were objective indicators of learning, and they excluded other sources of points in the class that reflect participation (e.g., iClicker quiz scores, written assignments) rather than mastery of course content.”

May combine two claims.

Learning management system time-on-task is a reasonable proxy for student engagement, especially in online classes, although such analytics are imperfect.

“Although data analytics provided by the learning management system are certainly imperfect (e.g., Kelley, 2021), they have been demonstrated to predict learning outcomes (Santos et al., 2021;Saqr et al., 2017) and are considered a reasonable proxy for student engagement, especially in online classes (Motz et al., 2019).”

• cites Kelley, 2021Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Santos et al., 2021Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Motz et al., 2019 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The fact that reliance on common sense emerged second only to GPA, even after time spent studying fell out of the model, supports the argument that naïve realism produces a reliance on common sense that acts as a barrier to learning.

“However, the fact that reliance on common sense emerged second only to demonstrated academic achievement (GPA), and that it did so even after factors such as time spent studying fell out of the model supports the argument that naïve realism produces a reliance on common sense that acts as a barrier to learning.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The relationship between common sense belief and exam performance is not due to unmeasured confounding, so it can be interpreted as naïve realism acting as a barrier to learning.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The outcome measure reflects exams-measures of objective knowledge-that have been developed carefully over many years but never tested as a research tool, and therefore are of unknown reliability and validity.

“The outcome measure reflects exams-measures of objective knowledge-that have been developed carefully over many years but never tested as a research tool, and therefore are of unknown reliability and validity.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Exams are measures of objective knowledge.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

It cannot be known if these results might be anticipated in other HDFS courses.

“It cannot be known if these results might be anticipated in other HDFS courses.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Earley (2014) reviewed literature and offered generalizations that students in social science research methods classes fail to see relevance, are anxious, uninterested, unmotivated, have poor attitudes, and have significant misconceptions about research.

“Earley (2014) reviewed published literature and offered several discouraging generalizations about students in research methods classes in the social sciences: they fail to see the relevance of the course to their major, they are anxious about the difficulty of the course, they are uninterested in the material and unmotivated to learn it, they have poor attitudes toward research, and they have sig”

• cites Earley, 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Research methods classes are not always well received by college students, and HDFS students are no exception.

“However, research methods classes are not always wellreceived by college students (Crowe et al., 2014;Garner et al., 2009;Winn, 1995), and HDFS students are no exception.”

• cites Crowe et al., 2014Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Garner et al., 2009Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Winn, 1995 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

A significant body of work on the pedagogy of research methods instruction has emerged since Earley's 2014 review.

“A significant body of work on the pedagogy of research methods instruction has emerged since Earley's 2014 review (Nind & Katramadou, 2023).”

• cites Nind & Katramadou, 2023Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Both the instructor and most students were new to online learning and were in the middle of a traumatic worldwide health crisis.

“Both the instructor and most of the students were new to online learning and were in the middle of a traumatic worldwide health crisis.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The positive impact of a teaching assistant suggests that research methods can be difficult and that more people to help students face the challenge works to improve outcomes.

“The positive impact of a teaching assistant suggests that research methods can be difficult and that more people to help students face the challenge works to improve outcomes.”

May combine two claims.

Every predictor variable measured was measured with a single item never tested for reliability or validity.

“The same can be said of every predictor variable measured.”

May combine two claims.

In a criminology research methods class, several factors were negatively predictive of academic performance, but math anxiety was the only explanation that remained significant in multivariate analysis.

“In fact, research on students in a criminology research methods class (Meldrum & Stults, 2012) found that several of these factors were negatively predictive of academic performance, but math anxiety was the only explanation that remained significant in a multivariate analysis.”

• cites Meldrum & Stults, 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Other scholars have identified math anxiety as another factor in student distaste for research methods classes.

“Other scholars have identified math anxiety as another factor in student distaste for research methods classes (e.g., Briggs et al., 2009).”

• cites Briggs et al., 2009 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The current study involved only two sections of one course, taught by the same instructor, at only one university.

“The current study is a small project, involving only two sections of one course, taught by the same instructor, at only one university.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The study was conducted in the context of a research methods class.

“Finally, this study was conducted in the context of a research methods class.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

A relationship identified in such an unusual context cannot be automatically considered generally true.

“Therefore, a relationship that is identified in such an unusual context cannot be automatically considered to be generally true.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Earley noted that individual student scores on these variables have not been directly linked to actual performance in research methods classes.

“Earley noted that these are general descriptions of students in research methods classes, but that individual student scores on these variables have not been directly linked to actual performance in those classes, although the researchers who report these findings speculate that these negative attitudes certainly hinder learning.”

• cites Earley, 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Belief in common sense was measured with only a single item, which has never been tested for reliability or validity.

“Belief in common sense was measured with only a single item, which has never been tested for reliability or validity.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Research methods classes are notoriously difficult and produce a lot of resistance among students in the social sciences.

“Research methods classes are notoriously difficult and produce a lot of resistance among students in the social sciences (Earley, 2014).”

• cites Earley, 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

All variables were measured as part of practice in the field rather than as a laboratory research project, and therefore have predictable limitations.

“Because all of the variables were measured as part of practice in the field, rather than being constructed as a laboratory research project, they have some predictable limitations.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Lilienfeld argued that in psychology the immersion approach is standard practice and has demonstratively failed.

“Lilienfeld argued that, in his discipline of psychology, this is standard practice and has demonstratively failed.”

• cites Lilienfeld (Psychological Science, 2014)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

One explanation that remains unexplored is that students believe the social sciences, including HDFS, are mostly common sense anyway, so that research seems unnecessary.

“One explanation that remains unexplored is that students believe the social sciences, including HDFS, are mostly common sense anyway, so that research seems unnecessary.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Despite a large body of literature on challenges of teaching and learning research methods in higher education, very little is known about why these challenges exist in the first place.

“Despite this large body of literature on the challenges of teaching and learning research methods in higher education, very little is known about why these challenges exist in the first place.”

May combine two claims.

Very little, if any, research explores the efficacy of active or experiential learning strategies, although one study reported that undergraduate teaching assistants reduced the fail rate and produced higher grades overall in a research methods course.

“Very little, if any, research explores the efficacy of these strategies, although one study reported that the use of undergraduate teaching assistants reduced the fail rate and produced higher grades overall in a research methods course (Crowe et al., 2014).”

• cites Crowe et al., 2014Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The current study took place during the first semester of obligatory online learning prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It took place during the first semester of obligatory online learning prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Some important variables were not measured at all.

“Furthermore, some important variables were not measured at all.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

If trained HDFS professionals resist learning things that challenge common sense, then the discipline stands little chance of improving everyday life for ordinary people.

“If even those who are trained professionals in HDFS resist learning things that challenge common sense, then our discipline stands little chance of improving everyday life for ordinary people.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Faculty in psychology and related social sciences are clear that research methods training is essential for basic science literacy and to promote critical thinking.

“Faculty members in psychology and related social sciences are very clear that research methods training is essential for basic science literacy (Cranney & Dunn, 2011) and to promote critical thinking (Gurung & Stoa, 2020).”

• cites Cranney & Dunn, 2011 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Gurung & Stoa, 2020 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Most psychology faculty (79%) identify the development of scientific thinking as the most important reason for requiring a research methods class in the curriculum.

“Most psychology faculty (79%) identify the development of scientific thinking as the most important reason for requiring a research methods class in the curriculum (Ciarocco et al., 2017).”

• cites Ciarocco et al., 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

It is likely that this is a problem in many academic disciplines.

“It is likely that this is a problem in many academic disciplines.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

To be effective, instruction must directly confront false beliefs and provide explicit instruction about how to recognize the cognitive errors that produced them.

“To be effective, the instruction must directly confront the false beliefs, providing explicit instruction about how to recognize the cognitive errors that produced them in the first place.”

May combine two claims.

Educating students about naïve realism helps them take others' perspectives and deal with conflict.

“In addition to employing a refutational approach, there is some evidence that educating students about naïve realism, specifically, helps them to keep a more open mind (Nasie et al., 2014) and helps them take others' perspectives and deal with conflict (Smith, 2020).”

• cites Smith, 2020 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

Because college students have extensive personal experiences with human development and family relationships, the problem may be especially problematic for HDFS.

“But given that college students have extensive personal experiences with human development and with family relationships, this may be especially problematic for the discipline of HDFS.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: College students have extensive personal experiences with human development and with family relationships.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

There is no reason to believe that tactics of educating about naïve realism would not work similarly with college students.

“These studies were conducted on high school students, but there is no reason to believe that these tactics would not work similarly with college students.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Some studies report evidence of effectiveness of critical thinking instruction, and others do not.

“Some studies report evidence of effectiveness, and others do not.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Abrami et al. suggested that the important factor in critical thinking education is not where the course is located in the curriculum, but rather the pedagogies employed by the instructor.

“Abrami et al. (2015) suggested that the important factor is not where the course is located in the curriculum, but rather the pedagogies employed by the instructor.”

• cites Abrami et al., 2015 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source