Browsing by Author "Yelbuz, Busra Elif"

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Citation - WoS: 3
Citation - Scopus: 2
Perceived expert and laypeople consensus predict belief in local conspiracy theories in a non-WEIRD culture: Evidence from Turkey
(Society for Judgment and Decision making, 2023) Sinan Alper; Büsra Elif Yelbuz; Kivanc Konukoglu; Alper, Sinan; Konukoglu, Kivanc; Yelbuz, Busra Elif
Past research has shown that perceived scientific consensus (or lack thereof) on an issue predicts belief in misinformation. In the current study (N = 729) we investigated how perceived consensus among both experts and laypeople predicts beliefs in localized and specific conspiracy theories in Turkey a non-WEIRD country. Participants in our study were found to overestimate consensus among both experts and laypeople regarding baseless conspiracy theories surrounding the alleged secret articles of the Lausanne Treaty and unused mining reserves in Turkey. Notably conspiracy believers exhibited a higher tendency to overestimate consensus compared to non-believers. Furthermore perceived expert consensus had a stronger association with conspiracy beliefs than perceived laypeople consensus. We also explored the correlates of conspiracy beliefs and perceived consensus including socioeconomic factors worldview cognitive sophistication and personality. The results further indicate that the correlations between belief and perceived consensus manifest with comparable magnitudes irrespective of the specific conspiracy theories under consideration. These findings support the potential of perceived consensus as an important factor for understanding conspiracy beliefs. © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Citation - WoS: 13
Citation - Scopus: 16
The positive association of education with the trust in science and scientists is weaker in highly corrupt countries
(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2024) Sinan Alper; Busra Elif Yelbuz; Sumeyra Bengisu Akkurt; Onurcan Yilmaz; Yelbuz, Busra Elif; Akkurt, Sumeyra Bengisu; Alper, Sinan; Yilmaz, Onurcan
One of the most prominent correlates of trust in science and scientists is education level possibly because educated individuals have higher levels of science knowledge and thinking ability suggesting that trusting science and scientists relies more on reflective thinking abilities. However it is relatively more reasonable for highly educated individuals to suspect authority figures in highly corrupt countries. We tested this prediction in two nationally representative and probabilistic cross-cultural data sets (Study 1: 142 countries N = 40085, Study 2: 47 countries N = 69332) and found that the positive association between education and trust in scientists (Study 1) and science (Study 2) was weaker or non-existent in highly corrupt countries. The results did not change after statistically controlling for age sex household income and residence. We suggest future research to be more considerate of the societal context in understanding how education status correlates with trust in science and scientists.