Justin L. Barrett is a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is a cognitive and developmental psychologist who conducts research concerning (1) cognitive foundations of cultural expression, (2) religious thought development (primarily in childhood), and (3) other causes and consequences of thought and behavior that might be considered “religious.” He also writes and speaks on philosophical and theological implications of scientific approaches to the study of religious thought.
Early Life and Educational Background
Barrett was born on June 16, 1971, in Saugus, California. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Calvin College in 1993 and was awarded a Ph.D. in human experimental psychology from Cornell University in 1997, where he was supervised by Frank Keil.
Professional Career
Barrett was an assistant professor at Calvin College from 1997 to 2000, after which he became a research investigator at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and served on the...
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Selected Bibliography
Barrett, J. L. (2012). Born believers: The science of children’s religious beliefs. New York: The Free Press.
Barrett, J. L. (2011). Cognitive science, religion, and theology: From human minds to divine minds. West Conshohocken: Templeton Press.
Barrett, J. L. (2007). Cognitive science of religion: What is it and why is it? Religion Compass, 1, 768–786.
Barrett, J. L., & Church, I. M. (2013). Should CSR give Atheists assurance? On beer-goggles, BFFs, and skepticism regarding religious beliefs. The Monist, 93, 311–324.
Barrett, J. L., Richert, R. A., & Driesenga, A. (2001). God’s beliefs versus Mom’s: The development of natural and non-natural agent concepts. Child Development, 72, 50–65.
Barrett, J. L., & Keil, F. C. (1996). Anthropomorphism and God concepts: Conceptualizing a non-natural entity. Cognitive Psychology, 31, 219–247.
Schnitker, S. A., Felke, T. J., Barrett, J. L., & Emmons, R. A. (2014). Virtue development following spiritual transformation in adolescents attending evangelistic summer camp. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 33, 22–35.
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Barrett, J. (2017). Barrett, Justin L.. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_371-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_371-1
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