Accuracy-directed climate reasoning: how self-efficacy, interest, confidence and judgments relate to knowledge and reasoning outcomes

This study examined how cognitive and motivational factors relate to individuals’ reasoning about climate change and sustainability. Specifically, we investigated whether self-efficacy, interest, and confidence in accomplishing environmental sustainability tasks are associated with plausibility judgments, climate change knowledge, and reasoning directionality. A sample of 503 U.S. adults completed measures assessing these constructs. Structural equation modeling showed that interest, self-efficacy, and confidence were positively associated with plausibility judgments, which in turn related to higher levels of climate change knowledge and accuracy-directed reasoning. Participants demonstrating accuracy-directed reasoning exhibited enhanced self-efficacy, greater interest, higher knowledge, and stronger plausibility judgments compared to those engaging in desired outcome-directed reasoning. These findings suggest that self-efficacy, interest, and critical evaluation skills are meaningfully related with epistemic engagement and scientifically grounded reasoning, and may be relevant targets for future efforts at supporting sustainability-oriented action and decision-making.