Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

[BamaLefty]

Put a group of people together at a party and observe how they behave. Differently than when they are alone? Differently than when they are with family? What if they're in a stadium instead of at a party? What if they're all men?

The field of social psychology has long been focused on how social environments affect the way people behave. But social psychologists are people, too, and as the United States has become increasingly politically polarized, they have grown increasingly interested in examining what drives these sharp divides: red states vs. blue states; pro-Iraq war vs. anti-Iraq war; pro-same-sex marriage vs. anti-same-sex marriage. And they have begun to study political behavior using such specialized tools as sophisticated psychological tests and brain scans.

More. . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/29/AR2006012900642_pf.html

[sasha031]

1. my favorite part

That study found that supporters of President Bush and other conservatives had stronger self-admitted and implicit biases against blacks than liberals did.

"What automatic biases reveal is that while we have the feeling we are living up to our values, that feeling may not be right," said University of Virginia psychologist Brian Nosek, who helped conduct the race analysis. "We are not aware of everything that causes our behavior, even things in our own lives."

Brian Jones, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said he disagreed with the study's conclusions but that it was difficult to offer a detailed critique, as the research had not yet been published and he could not review the methodology. He also questioned whether the researchers themselves had implicit biases -- against Republicans -- noting that Nosek and Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji had given campaign contributions to Democrats.

they always recourse when presented with facts "Oh you must be a Democrat"

[Luke21]

2. Yes, people are divided.

The article has many truths. In my generation, despite all the turbulent changes in society, the biggest gulf was between those who were "young and hip" and people who were "old and square." JFK and Bobby spoke to our souls and were our champions.

Being divided is nothing new. The Revolutionary War had plenty of division. A lot of people thought the status quo was just fine. It's the lack of civility and respect for all sides of a discussion that bugs me. People are often so arrogant about their beliefs that they don't realize they won't change any minds because of their own arrogance. Both sides of the political discussion have these awful caricatures of the other side. Anybody that fits the caricature is automatically dismissed as a partisan or worse.

Change results from open minds. The Bushbots see nothing wrong with what he does today and will back whatever he does tomorrow. They will defend these positions ferociously, with ridicule and name calling, like people with third degree burns, even if receiving even only slight criticism from their own people. Many of the Clinton defenders were the same way. I suppose it's the old bunker mentality that comes with power. And politics is about power.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. The article doesn't say people are divided. It says people with

more racial biases tend to vote Republican.

Just to clarify.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Fascinating article. K&R It quantifies Nixon's Southern Strategy in

a way.

[ComerPerro]

5. You can always tell the racists by what they say

when they think no one "dangerous" is around.

IF you have to look over your shoulder before telling a joke or telling some story or expressing your opinion, you're probably a bigot...


Good study, thanks for the link.