14. Politics Flashcards
Can we generalize from studies in WIERD people?
NO - they are going to generalize very poorly
Are most of the research on the psychology of politics made on WIERD or non-WIERD people and what problems causes that?
WIERD people - the studies are going to generalize very poorly
What is a top-down process of political attitudes?
acquisition of political attitudes through exposure to ideological bundles that are socially constructed by political elites
How can you acquire political attitudes bottom-up?
Underlying psychological need and motives that influence an individual’s receptiveness to specific ideological positions
(genes etc.)
If you are more reactive to scary images you are more likely to be more ________?
Conservative (but people don’t think this idea holds up - bad research)
Can the bottom-up or top-down approach to political attitudes best be used to generalize?
The bottom-up
What does Godwin’s law state?
As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1. (and whoever makes that comparison loses the argument)
definitions of authoritarianism
a form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms.
People high on authoritarianism scores high on 3 things - what are those?
- A preference for convention
- Submission to established authorities
- Willingness to punish social deviants
Elevated authoritarianism scores are found among members of what parties?
British fascist party
Sovjet ultranationalist
Former nazi officers
Militant nationalist in Israel and Palenstine
Name 2 trends in authoritarianism scores of American legislators
- Republicans score higher on authoritarianism
- Authoritarianism scores are higher in the south -> geographic differences
How is authoritarianism connected to politics?
It has been the guiding force of politics
more authoritarianism = more right-wing
SDO is short for what?
Social dominance orientation
If you are high on authoritarianism and SDO you are likely to vote for what party?
The republicans
Name 2 characteristics for people on the left
- They favor marriage equality
- Favor progressive taxation
Name 2 characteristics for people on the right
- They favor free markets
- They favor traditional gender roles
What are the 2 underlying dimensions for measuring sociopolitical attitudes?
-Attitudes towards equality (social dominance orientation)
(left = favor >< right oppose)
-Attitudes towards change (Right-wing authoritarianism)
(left = favor >< right = oppose)
RWA is short of what?
Right-wing authoritarianism
People, who favor Trump tend to be high on 2 features - what are those?
Conservatism + RWA agression
Especially 3 characteristics are negatively correlated with RWA - what are those characteristics?
Openness (-.35)
Intelligence (-.35)
Education (-.03)
Are agreeableness and openness negatively or positively correlated with SDO?
Negatively correlated
Agreeableness (-0.30)
Openess (-0.15)
Are the suburbs or urban areas higher on RWA?
Suburban
people living in the cities tend to be more progressive and more conservative people live in the suburbs
Are the suburbs or urban areas higher on SDO?
Suburban
Are the suburbs or rural areas higher on RWA and SDO?
Rural higher on RWA
Rural lower in SDO
Can you just look at intelligence overall and say it is correlated more with either the left or right wing?
NO - it depends on how you measure intelligence
(EX: if you measure it as having high earning - people high in intelligence are more right orientated but if you measure it on education people are more left orientated)
How can self-perceived ability influence authoritarianism?
Capable people adapt better to change and are more likely to feel positive about change (left)
People who doubt themselves more are more likely to score higher on authoritarianism
What is the link between how somebody votes and their living situations?
People tend to move to an environment that fits their political view
Our beliefs influence what areas we choose to live in
Do our beliefs influence where we live or does our living situation influence our beliefs?
Our beliefs influence where we choose to live
What are conservatism’s most relevant big 5 correlates?
- openness (low in openness)
+coinscientiousness (high)
What is the definition of self-enhancement values?
The preference for values that emphasize the pursuit of one’s own interest and relative success and dominance over others rather than the welfare and interest of others ( success, wealth, social power over equality and social justice
What is the definition of conservation values?
Empathizing order and self-restriction and de-empathizing the merits of independence of thought, feeling, and action as well as a readiness for change
How do social attitudes change over time?
People become more conservative with age
People are lower in conservatism in their earlier years
How are education and parenthood related to conservatism?
People tend to move more to the right (conservatism) when they enter parenthood and more educated people tend to enter parenthood later -> young parent become more conservative earlier
What happens to someone social attitudes when they have kids
This usually pushes them more to the right
Conservatives often states what about society?
That their society is experiencing a major decline -> thing has been better in the past
Are the conservatives claim that things were better in the past supported by data?
NO - it is often felt but not demonstrated with data
Why do conservative people see their society as declining when it actually isn’t?
- Aging and certain life-events (parenthood, increased professional responsibility) shift our perceptions of the world
- We are often guilty of naive realism (The deep conviction that one’s own perceptual experiences are true representations of external reality)
What is naive realism?
The deep conviction that one’s own perceptual experiences are true representations of external reality
How can you reduce naive realism?
- Making people aware of changes in their perceptions (asking about their reflexes etc.)
- experimental manipulation (ask people to answer questions where they are forced to admit or deny EX: All aspect of the world are more dangerous today than when I was a child - DENY)
What can preventing mistaken perceptions prevent?
It might prevent conservative longing for the good old days
What can lead to increases in conservatism (at a national level)
Periods of economic hardship and concerns over national security
What are the causes of lasting right-wing shifts?
- Occur among high-exposure survivors (EX: 9/11)
- Occur in society in times of hardship and distress
- Occur with parenthood
What are the causes of lasting left-wing shifts?
- College (especially prone with students doing well)
- Travel (people who travel a lot tend to be more open)
What are the causes of short term ideological shifts?
- When people are triggered to feel disgusted or concern with contamination
- When people are made to feel vulnerable
- decreased cognitive ability (ex: drunk people shift more to the right)
- Decreased perception of ability
Are ideological attitudes stable over time?
They are relative stable over the lifespan - but they still change
What is moral dumbfounding? (Haidt)
When individuals have a moral reaction to an event or story but are unable to explain/justify their reaction while still retaining their moral evaluation (something is just wrong - can’t explain why)
What does moral dumbfounding reflect according to Haidt?
The automatic and arational nature of our moral judgments
For the left wing: denying marriage equality produces harm and is unfair
for the right-wing: allowing marriage equality is a violation of purity and rebuke to authority
WHAT DOES THIS REFLECT?
It reflects the fact the right-wingers and left-wingers differ in how we should even judge a given issue
What does moral reasoning in non-WEIRD nations resemble most (left or right)
In non-weird nations, they tend to have moral reasoning that is more like the conservative reasoning in weird nations
