Religious Cognition as a Dual-Process: Developing the Model

What is it about?

Several authors in the field of the cognitive science of religion have resorted to ‘dualprocess’ models in their own developments. These models distinguish between non-conscious (fast, intuitive, and automatic) and conscious (slow, reflective and controlled) forms of religious reasoning. Most of the published studies focus only on the first of those two processes when dealing with religion. The present pages offer a summary of the current state of dual-process research, their application to religion to the date, and a plea for their broader use, aimed at building a more integrated view of religion as a combination of both cognitive dimensions. The developments on ‘heuristics’ might contribute to a better understanding of several features of the religious mind.

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Why is it important?

Applying dual models to religious cognition