We are all prone to motivated reasoning in which our personal goals distort our beliefs. For example, most drivers and most professors think they are above average. Ziva Kunda’s 1990 paper “The Case ...

I am an atmospheric scientist, professor, and the former president of the American Meteorological Society. From these lenses, I have spent a career fascinated by weather, climate, and related societal ...

A new study lays out a bit of a conundrum in its opening paragraphs. It notes that scientific progress depends on the ability to update what ideas are considered acceptable in light of new evidence.

Have you ever wondered why some people refuse to change their minds, even when faced with hard facts? Well, it turns out that “motivated reasoning” is to blame — and we’re all guilty of it. It’s ...

Motivated reasoning in political judgment refers to the cognitive tendency for individuals to process political information in a manner that aligns with their pre-existing identities, beliefs and ...

that just went up about the psychology of science denial--and, indeed, denial in general. In it, I unpack a theory called "motivated reasoning," which political psychologists have used to explain all ...