Tests on analytical thinking, intelligence, religion and spirituality

Thank you for taking part in my study. The purpose of this online questionnaire is to examine how
peoples beliefs impact on their problem solving. You will fill out some questionnaires and answer some
puzzles. If you want to continue, please press the "Next" button which will lead you to a Consent Form
and later on to the questionnaires. At the end there will be a Debrief Form which will provide more details
about the study.
Please bear in mind that there is no time limit and the questionnaire is completely anonymous
Introductory paragraph
Thank you for taking part in the experiment. This will take no longer than 20 minutes of your time. There
are four tests included in this study: the Cognitive Reflection Test, Wordsum Vocabulary Test, a
Religiosity Index Scale and the Spiritual Transcendence Scale. Your task is to carefully answer every
question or statement that you will be presented with. Lastly, do not forget to indicate your age, level of
education and religious affiliation (see below). All the best!
Age:
Level of education:
Religious affiliation:
A. The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT)
1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the
ball cost? _______cents
2. If it takes 5 machines 5minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take a hundred machines to
make 100 widgets? _______minutes
3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for
the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
_______days
B. Wordsum Test: We would like to know something about how people go about guessing words they do
not know. On this card are listed some words. You may know some of them, and you may not know quite
a few of them. On each line, the first word is in capital letters--- like BEAST. Then there are five other
words. Please circle the number of the word that comes closest to the meaning of the word in capital
letters. For example, if the word in capital letters is BEAST, you would circle 4 since animal comes
closer to BEAST than any of the other words. Circle only one number for each item below.
EXAMPLE BEAST 1. afraid 2. words 3. large 4. animal 5. separate 6. dont know
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

SPACE: 1. School 2. Noon 3. Captain 4. Room 5. Board 6. Dont know

BROADEN: 1. Efface 2. Make level 3. Elapse 4. Embroider 5. Widen 6. Dont know
EMANATE: 1. Populate 2. Free 3. Prominent 4. Rival 5. Come 6. Dont know
EDIBLE: 1. Auspicious 2. Eligible 3. Fit to eat 4. Sagacious 5. Able to speak 6. Dont know
ANIMOSITY: 1. Hatred 2. Animation 3. Disobedience 4. Diversity 5. Friendship 6. Dont know
PACT: 1. Puissance 2. Remonstrance 3. Agreement 4. Skilled 5. Pressure 6. Dont know
CLOISTERED: 1. Miniature 2. Bunched 3. Arched 4. Malady 5. Secluded 6. Dont know

H. CAPRICE: 1. Value 2. A star 3. Grimace 4. Whim 5. Inducement 6. Dont know

I. ACCUSTOM: 1. Disappoint 2. Customary 3. Encountered 4. Get used to 5. Business 6. Dont
know
J. ALLUSION: 1. Reference 2. Dream 3. Eulogy 4. Illusion 5. Aria 6. Dont know
C. Religiosity Tests
Religious Engagement Scale (Re)
Re1. How important is religion in your daily life?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Highest importance
Very important
Important
Unimportant
Very unimportant
Irrelevant

Re2. Aside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

More than a week

Once a week
Once or twice a month
A few times a year
Seldom
Never

Re3. Outside of attending religious services, how often do you pray?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Several times a day

Once a day
A few times a week
Once a week
A few times a month
Seldom
Never

Religious Belief Scale (Rb)

Rb1. There is a heaven where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree
I strongly disagree

Rb2. There is a hell where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally
punished.
1.
2.
3.
4.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree

5. I strongly disagree
Rb3. Religious miracles occur.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree
I strongly disagree

Rb4. Angels and demons are active in the world.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree
I strongly disagree

Rb5. There is a life after death.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree
I strongly disagree

Rb6. People have an immaterial soul, a part of themselves that is beyond their merely psychological and
physical properties.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I strongly agree
I agree
I dont know
I disagree
I strongly disagree

Theistic belief measure

What sort of God, if any, do you believe in?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Personal God
God as an impersonal force
God who created everything but does not intervene in human affairs
Do not know whether or not any of these Gods exist
Do not know whether or not any of these Gods exist and no one else does either
I do not believe in Gods of any sort

D. Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS)

1. Although dead, images of some of my relatives continue to influence my current life.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree

2. I meditate and/or pray so that I can reach a higher spiritual plane of consciousness.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
3. I have had at least one peak experience.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
4. I feel that on a higher level all of us share a common bond.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
5. All life is interconnected.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
6. There is a higher plane of consciousness or spirituality that binds all people
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
7. It is important for me to give something back to my community
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
8. I am a link in the chain of my familys heritage, a brigde between past and future.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
9. I am concerned about those who will come after me in life.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
10. I have been able to step outside of my ambitions and failures, pain and joy, to experience a large
sense of fulfillment.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
Although individual people may be difficult, I feel an emotional bond will all the humanity.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I still have strong emotional ties with someone who has died.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I believe that there is a larger meaning to life.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I find inner strength and/or peace from my prayers or meditations.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I believe that death is a doorway to another plane of existence.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree

16. I believe that there is a larger plan to life.

1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
17. Sometimes I find the details of my life to be a distraction from my prayers and/or meditations.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
18. When in prayer or meditation, I have become oblivious to the events of this world.
1. I strongly agree

19.

20.

21.

22.

2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I have experienced deep fulfillment and bliss through my prayers and meditations.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
I have had a spiritual experience when I lost track of where I was or the passage of time.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
The desires of my body do not keep me from my prayers or meditations.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
Although there is good and bad people, I believe that humanity as a whole is basically good.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree

23. There is an order to the universe that transcends human thinking.

1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
24. I believe that on some level my life is intimately tied to all of humankind.
1. I strongly agree
2. I agree
3. I dont know
4. I disagree
5. I strongly disagree
References for the questionnaires:
Davis, J. A., & Smith, T. W. (1994). General Social Surveys, 1972-1994: Cumulative Codebook. Chicago:
National Opinion Research Center.
Frederick, S. (2005). Cognitive reflection and decision making. Journal of Economic perspectives, 25-42.
Pennycook, G., Cheyne, J. A., Seli, P., Koehler, D. J., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2012). Analytic cognitive style
predicts religious and paranormal belief. Cognition, 123(3), 335-346.

Piedmont, R. L. (1999). Does Spirituality Represent the Sixth Factor of Personality? Spiritual
Transcendence and the FiveFactor Model. Journal of personality, 67(6), 985-1013.