8  Importance of Rationality

Cluster: Cognitive Style

8.1 Measure

Here we include the Importance of Rationality Scale from Ståhl, Zaal, & Skitka (2016)

Modifications

8.2 Implementation

Question wording

Participants read the following text:

Please read each of the following statements carefully and state to what extent you agree. There are no right or wrong answers and your responses remain anonymous.

INSERT

Items

imp_01	It is important to me personally to be skeptical about claims that are not backed up by evidence.
imp_02	It is important to me personally to remain rational and levelheaded even in heated arguments.
imp_03	It is important to me personally to examine traditionally held beliefs using logic and evidence.
imp_04	It is important to me personally that I can justify my beliefs using rational arguments and evidence.
imp_05	It is important to me personally to critically examine my long-held beliefs.
imp_06	It is important to me personally to be a rational person.

Coding

This questionnaire uses our standard agreement scale.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
strongly disagree	moderately disagree	slightly disagree	neither agree nor disagree	slightly agree	moderately agree	strongly agree

No items are reverse coded

Scoring

The following variables are derived form this measure:

Variable Name	Variable Label	Description	Variable Type	Source (Section)	Definition
Importance of Rationality	rationality_imp	Importance of rationality score	numeric	Importance of Rationality	The mean of imp_01 : imp_06

Ståhl, T., Zaal, M. P., & Skitka, L. J. (2016). Moralized rationality: Relying on logic and evidence in the formation and evaluation of belief can be seen as a moral issue. PLoS ONE, 11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166332