Definition
Lay beliefs represent an individual’s subjective and informal explanation for the world around them (including explanations relating to health and illness) that do not necessarily have to concur with scientific knowledge (Furnham 1988). As lay beliefs are subjective, they will differ from person to person such that one person’s understanding of their world will not necessarily be the same as another person.
Description
Lay beliefs develop from our individual experiences, developmental and cultural upbringing, social mores, and education. As such, we continue to develop new beliefs and alter current beliefs throughout the lifespan as we learn, experience new situations, and endure changes in culture (Zlius et al. 2017). It is thought that lay beliefs influence the way information from the environment is encoded, interpreted, and recalled, leading to interindividual differences in...
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Kilby, C.J., Sherman, K.A. (2018). Lay Beliefs. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_101997-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_101997-1
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