Research on the Behavior Model of Adult Citizens in Taiwan Engaging in Fortune and Health Pseudoscience

• Main Authors: Tseng Yuan-Chueh, 曾元珏
• Other Authors: Hung Jeng-Fung
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/86272336823888026856

博士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 科學教育暨環境教育研究所 === 102 === The research aims to build the behavior model of adult citizens in Taiwan engaging in fortune and health pseudoscience by the data obtained from the database of “The Survey of Public Attitudes toward and Understanding of Science and Technology”. We also analyzed and studied the current conditions in which adult citizens in Taiwan receive pseudoscientific information, believe in pseudoscience and engage in fortune and health pseudoscience activities. Among the samples in the database, R.O.C. citizens at and above the age of 18 in Taiwan were the research subject population. This study samples cases applying the probability proportional to size sampling (PPS) based on the household register of the Department of Household Registration, M.O.I. The samples designed in the study include 4448 interviewees. The face-to-face interview approach was utilized in the research, and 2078 questionnaires were gathered, in which 54 of them were discarded as ineffective questionnaires. Total 2024 effective questionnaires were obtained for statistical analysis. The research results indicate that there is positive correlation among the “receipt of pseudoscientific information”, “belief in pseudoscience” and “engagement in fortune and health pseudoscientific activities” of adult citizens in Taiwan. There were significant differences for different background factors (gender, age, religion, educational level) with respect to “receipt of pseudoscientific information”, “belief in pseudoscience” and “engagement in fortune and health pseudoscientific activities”. Also, the “behavior model of adult citizens in Taiwan engaging in fortune and health pseudoscience” was verified from three dimensions, including preliminary goodness-of-fit, overall goodness-of-fit and internal goodness-of-fit. From the results, it can be seen that there was good good-of-fit among the three variables, “receipt of pseudoscientific information”, “belief in pseudoscience”, and “engagement in fortune and health pseudoscientific activities”. When the “receipt of pseudoscientific information” was utilized as an independent variable, “belief of pseudoscience” was utilized as an intervening variable, and “engagement in fortune and health pseudoscientific activities” was utilized as a dependent variable, the overall effects were improved favorably, and the total effect value achieved 0.61. Thus, the research may be used to support the behavior model of adult citizens in Taiwan engaging in fortune and health pseudoscience, and such behavior model may be utilized for the use of prediction and interpretation. Finally, recommendations for subsequent researches were proposed according to the research results.