Findings from University of Lisbon in the Area of Psychology and Psychiatry Described (Learning Psychology Changes Deep-rooted Beliefs About the Nature of Psychological Phenomena: Effects On Intuitive Dualism and Beliefs About Science).

This article focuses on research from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, examining how studying psychology influences students' beliefs about the scientific explainability and basis of psychological phenomena. The study involved 315 psychology students at various training levels and 62 age-matched controls, finding that increased knowledge of psychology—rather than mere exposure—correlates with stronger beliefs that psychological phenomena are brain-based and scientifically explainable. The research also highlights a link between perceiving psychological phenomena as brain-based and considering them scientifically explainable. Funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), the study contributes to discussions on expertise development and the role of knowledge acquisition in shaping beliefs about psychology. [Extracted from the article]