ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we focus on how the quest for certainty drives cognition, thus affecting the knowledge formation and usage. Traditionally, this quest has been linked to closed-minded cognition, i.e. forming firm knowledge and rigid belief systems resistant to change (Kruglanski, 1989). Closed-mindedness leads people to believe they are in possession of an absolute truth, which is why they uncritically ignore, discount, or reject evidence that is discrepant with their important beliefs (usually linked to identity). Thus, this usually drives inaccurate and biased cognition. This implies a tendency to maintain in one's mind a single perspective along with the conviction of its unquestionable correctness, which results in the rejection of other perspectives. This also implies knowledge resistance, i.e. failure to accept available knowledge. We demonstrate, however, that the motivation to achieve certainty is not always associated with closed-minded (and biased) cognition and put forward an alternative view to account for this.
