You Can Lead A Republican To Facts But You Can’t Make Him Think; New Research Confirms It

[G_j]

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/20/you-can-lead-a-republican-to-facts-but-you-cant-make-him-think-new-research-confirms-it/

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AUTHOR: RANDA MORRIS SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 12:28 AM


I’ve been saying for a long time that you can lead a Republican to facts, but you can’t make him think. Wouldn’t you know it, Scientific research has verified my conclusions. Up until now my opinion on this was formed strictly from personal observation, combined with a multitude of anecdotal evidence. But now Dan Kahan, a Yale Law School Professor, has added to a growing body of evidence, which provides verifiable evidence that leading a person to facts does very little to make them think.

Kahan’s paper titled “Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government” was published early in September, 2013. The research shows that strong ideological beliefs undermine a person’s ability to interpret data and even perform math problems. The researchers first assessed the subject’s ability to handle the math problems and interpret the data by using material that had no political association. Subjects who were able to correctly interpret the data and solve the math problems when they addressed non-political situations, became unable to do so if the correct solutions and interpretations conflicted with their underlying ideological beliefs. Yes, this phenomena was documented in people with strong beliefs, both on the left or on the right.

One large difference between the two parties is the consistency with which facts tend to collide with an underlying worldview (religious or political) outside of the experimental laboratory. Previous studies have confirmed that showing facts to a person who has a misconception not only doesn’t correct the misconception, but actually causes them to become even more committed to their false belief. In a separate study conducted by Dartmouth College Professor Brendan Nylan and Jason Reifler of Georgia State University (2011) the researchers decided to test this idea using three commonly held misconceptions:

“where some citizens may be unwilling to acknowledge factual information that contradicts their

preexisting beliefs:

1. Whether insurgent attacks in Iraq decreased after the US troop surge

2. Whether the number of jobs in the US increased from January 2010 to January 2011

3. Whether average global temperatures have increased over the past thirty years.

..more..

[gopiscrap]

1. How true

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. "they dismiss every bit of it in favor of the voices in their heads"

In some cases it sounds like this:

[UTUSN]

11. Best line ever: "the voices in their heads"!!!!!!!1 n/t

[Cha]

3. "Katrina was Obama's fault".. "I know because I saw it on

fox screwswithmyhead and I don't care "

[bluestate10]

9. The "Katrina was Obama's fault" stands as a testament to republican voter stupidity.

That claim was a tough call on my part because there are so many cases of republican voter stupidity that choosing one is almost a pointless exercise, that stands on the same platform with shooting fish in a barrel.

[Scuba]

4. Recommended reading: Drew Westen's "The Political Brain". Shows how Democrats have ...

... blown election after election by allowing the R's to control the narrative. Bottom line: failure to call out the R's bad behaviors in debates, in ads, etc. has been costing our side elections. And these failures have been so consistent one could easily assume it's intentional.

The book give great insight into voter's preconceived ideas and how they can be corrected by including an emotional component in the messaging.

[Frustratedlady]

5. I've said for years that to straighten out a Republican,

you have to deprogram them like parents had to have done with teens who became part of cults during the 60-70s. They've been fed so much crap, they are lemmings.

[bluestate10]

7. More moderate republicans have left that party. The problem is they still hold on to some of

the odious beliefs that they have had driven into their brains. The challenge of the Democratic party is how to de-program former republicans to make them more comprehensive American voters, there will be more success in that area than with trying to de-program the republican base.

[bluestate10]

6. Common tactics republicans use are talking over people that are presenting opposing views,

throwing out impossible to prove or disprove claims when presented with a verifiable fact, and acting with extreme rage when they are cornered. Fundamentally, republicans are schoolyard bullies that one has to deal with by punching them in their fucking mouths and being prepared to go even further if the assholes attempt to retaliate.

[Zorra]

8. That ain't rocket science, as anyone who has ever tried to present indisputable

facts counter to a republican's dearly held beliefs knows very well.

[UTUSN]

10. R#17 & K for, excellent!1 n/t