A Psychometric Study of Open-mindedness: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
Abstract
Open-mindedness involves a willingness to consider a variety of perspectives, values, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs, especially when they contradict an individual's own. This ability allows critical and rational thinking that is essential in education for learning new things and is studied by philosophers for cultivating intellectual humility. In this project we collected self-report responses using six different measures of open-mindedness from psychology, education, and philosophy from 462 Loyola students. We analyzed responses using factor analytic techniques. We hope this study will be useful in cultivating an interdisciplinary discussion about the definition, value, and cultivation of open-mindedness across the disciplines.
A Psychometric Study of Open-mindedness: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
Open-mindedness involves a willingness to consider a variety of perspectives, values, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs, especially when they contradict an individual's own. This ability allows critical and rational thinking that is essential in education for learning new things and is studied by philosophers for cultivating intellectual humility. In this project we collected self-report responses using six different measures of open-mindedness from psychology, education, and philosophy from 462 Loyola students. We analyzed responses using factor analytic techniques. We hope this study will be useful in cultivating an interdisciplinary discussion about the definition, value, and cultivation of open-mindedness across the disciplines.