The Science of Lay Theories

Part I. The Origins and Nature of Lay Theories

1. The Origins of Lay Theories: The Case of Essentialist Beliefs
Nick Haslam

2. The Motivated Fluidity of Lay Theories of Change
Anne E. Wilson, Jaslyn A. English

Part II. Explorations in Lay Theories About Human Psychological Attributes or Phenomena

3. Lay Theories of Self-control
Veronika Job, Gregory M. Walton

4. What Are People’s Lay Theories About Mind Wandering and How Do Those Beliefs Affect Them?
Claire M. Zedelius, Jonathan W. Schooler

5. Lay Theories of Creativity
Simone M. Ritter, Eric F. Rietzschel

6. Mindsets About Malleability and Intergroup Relations
Aneeta Rattan, Oriane Georgeac

7. Effects of Lay Beliefs on the Justice Motive
Michèlle Bal, Kees van den Bos

Part III. Insights into Lay Theories About the Metaphysical or Supernatural

8. Antecedents, Manifestations, and Consequences of Belief in Mind–Body Dualism
Matthias Forstmann, Pascal Burgmer

9. Lay Theories of the Mind/Brain Relationship and the Allure of Neuroscience
Diego Fernandez-Duque

10. Causes and Consequences of the Belief in Free Will
Davide Rigoni, Axel Cleeremans, Marcel Brass

11. Religion and Its Cultural Evolutionary By-products
Kristin Laurin

12. From the Impossible to the Improbable: A Probabilistic Account of Magical Beliefs and Practices Across Development and Cultures
Martin Fortier, Sunae Kim

Part IV. Investigation of Lay Theories About Mental and Physical Health

13. Mindsets of Body Weight
Jeni L. Burnette, Crystal L. Hoyt, Kasey Orvidas

14. Lay Theories and Metaphors of Health and Illness
David J. Hauser, Randolph M. Nesse, Norbert Schwarz

15. How Lay Theories Influence Our Mental Health
Adrian Furnham

Keywords: Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology, Religion and Psychology, Health Psychology