In this study, the relationship between domain-specific and domain-general intuition was examined by comparing scores on several measures of preference for intuition taken from the nursing and psychological literatures. Two hypotheses guided the analyses. First, given that intuition is based on experience, it was predicted that preference for the use of intuition in nursing would be independent and relatively unrelated to general trust in intuition. Second, the relationship between experience and trust in nursing intuition was expected to be positive; nurses would trust their intuition in nursing more as their level of experience in the field increased.
Method
Participants
Following Institutional Review Board approval, participants for this web-based survey were recruited via list-servs, emails and word of mouth. Registered nurses (RNs) made up the majority of sample (n = 145, 78% female). Students enrolled in a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at a private, midwestern university were also invited to participate (n = 30, 73% female). Nursing students ranged in age from 18–28, with a mean of 20•48 years (SD 2•17), representing all four years of undergraduate education (10 first-year, six second-year, four third-year and 12 fourth-year students). RNs ranged in age from 22–68 (mean = 38•71, SD 12•86). All participants were offered an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate as compensation.