Measuring Belief in Genetic Determinism: A Psychometric Evaluation of the PUGGS Instrument
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Measuring Belief in Genetic Determinism: A Psychometric Evaluation of the PUGGS Instrument Robyn E. Tornabene 1
& Gena C. Sbeglia
2
& Ross H. Nehm
1,2
# Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract
Belief in genetic determinism (BGD) has been associated with increased social stereotyping and prejudicial views and consequently is of significant concern to science educators. The Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) instrument was developed to measure relationships among BGD, genetics knowledge, and demographic variables. PUGGS validity evidence has relied primarily on Classical Test Theory frameworks and Brazilian samples. Using a more advanced psychometric framework (Rasch analysis) and a large North American undergraduate sample (n > 800), we further evaluate validity claims by studying (1) dimensionality and function of PUGGS item sets; (2) magnitudes of item endorsement across human traits (social, biological) and taxonomic (animal, plant) categories; and (3) degree of trait-level genetic overattribution. Similar to Gericke et al. (Sci Educ 26:1223–1259, 2017), we identified a two-dimensional structure for the BGD scale (i.e., social, biological) and the genetics knowledge scale (i.e., gene-environment interactions [GEI], genetics and genomics knowledge [GGK]). However, there were several problems with the functioning of the item sets (e.g., low reliability for GEI, problematic rating scale for BGD biological). We report that the magnitudes of GEI and GGK did not differ by taxonomic context. Finally, genetic over- (and under-) attribution was identified for both biological and social traits, indicating that students harbored considerably diverse and frequently nonnormative conceptions about genetic contributions to traits. Importantly, psychometric and theoretical concerns reported here raise questions about the operationalization of the PUGGS BGD construct. Recommendations for PUGGS revisions and educational implications are discussed.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-02000146-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
* Robyn E. Tornabene [email protected]
1
Institute for STEM Education, 092 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5233, USA
2
Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11747, USA
R. E. Tornabene et al.
1 Introduction 1.1 Belief in Genetic Determinism In recent decades, genetic work has supported the complex interplay between the environment and genes for most traits (e.g., Morange 2001; Moore 2015; Portin and Wilkins 2017). Nevertheless, public knowledge of genetics remains low (e.g., Lanie et al. 2004) and lay beliefs, such as genetic determinism, appear widespread (e.g., Dar-Nimrod and Heine 2011; Parrott et al. 2005). Genetic determinism may be considered a form of biological determinism in which traits are attributed to natural causes—in this case genes—invariably, exclusively, or b
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