Scientists with a Ph.D. in physics are less accurate when judging the scientific value of incongruent statements that trigger naive ideas than matched congruent statements, in both physics and biology¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 In physics, accuracy was lower for incongruent than congruent statements (d = 1.7). → Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021 q3 i3 In biology, accuracy was also lower for incongruent than congruent statements (d = 1.5). → Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021

Evidence¶

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021¶

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette, Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy, Patrice Potvin, Martin Riopel, Marilyne Larose, Steve Masson. (2021). An fMRI study of scientists with a Ph.D. in physics confronted with naive ideas in science. npj Science of Learning 6:11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00091-x

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Statement-verification task with 25 Ph.D. physicists scanned in an fMRI block-design experiment; accuracy (percent correct) on congruent vs incongruent statements. Physics: "t(24) = 8.522, p < 0.001, d = 1.7"; biology accuracy also significantly lower for incongruent statements (d = 1.5; chance = 50%).

"In physics and biology, participants were more accurate at verifying the scienti fic value of the congruent statements relative to incongruent ones (Fig. 1b). (Physics: t(24) = 8.522, p < 0.001, d = 1.7, CI 95% [11.8, 19.4]; x̄congruent 96.3 ± 4.9%; x̄incongruent 80.6 ± 10.6%."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Naive science ideas are extremely persistent and probably never disappear even after extensive training such as a Ph.D. in physics, so conceptual change as replacement may never truly be achieved — related
• Scientists with a Ph.D. in physics respond more slowly to incongruent statements than to matched congruent statements, with a response-time increase in physics twice as large as in biology — related
• Physicists with a Ph.D. are slightly more accurate judging physics statements than biology statements (d = 0.5) — related
• When physicists with a Ph.D. confront naive ideas in their domain of expertise, MFG and IFG associated with inhibitory control are significantly more activated by incongruent than congruent statements — related
• Incongruent items in school-topic tasks are generally associated with longer response times and lower accuracy, patterns consistent with inhibitory control recruitment — a broader claim this one bears on
• Alternative conceptions persist alongside scientific conceptions and resist change even after instruction — related