Psychological readiness for AI in health professions education: the role of innovativeness and cognitive flexibility among Turkish students

Abstract

Despite the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems, limited research has examined how individual and cognitive factors jointly shape health science students’ attitudes towards AI. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between students’ attitudes toward AI, individual innovativeness, and cognitive flexibility. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with 1026 undergraduate students enrolled in health science programs at a public university in Türkiye. Data were analysed using correlational and hierarchical regression methods. The findings indicated that students’ attitudes toward AI were characterized by a balanced structure, reflecting both positive expectations and concerns. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that individual innovativeness was consistently associated with attitudes toward AI, whereas cognitive flexibility showed smaller and mixed effects across its subdimensions, with the control dimension exhibiting opposite associations with positive and negative attitudes. In addition, technological curiosity, frequency of AI use, and support for AI course inclusion were significant contextual factors associated with AI attitudes. Overall, the findings suggest that students’ attitudes toward AI are shaped not only by knowledge but also by individual and cognitive characteristics. The study contributes to the literature by proposing an integrated psychological framework explaining AI readiness in health professions education. From a practical perspective, the results highlight the importance of designing AI-integrated curricula that address individual differences while fostering adaptive expertise, critical thinking, and reflective engagement with AI technologies.

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