Changing knowledge and beliefs

The chapter is divided into four main sections. In the first section we briefly explore definitions of knowledge and beliefs synthesized from the philosophical and educational psychology literatures. We also offer our own working definitions of these constructs. By explicitly defining the constructs of knowledge and beliefs, we hope to bring some clarity to our discussion of change. In the second section, we overview change models pertaining to knowledge or beliefs. In so doing, we discuss psychological issues central to contemporary research traditions relative to conceptual change and persuasion. We then offer some recommendations for future research and educational practice. Finally, we close the chapter with a brief discussion of a model of belief change that draws on historical philosophical and psychological literature in which knowledge and beliefs have been characterized as reciprocally influential processes.