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You are here: Home / Politics / Morning Science Thread

Morning Science Thread

by Tim F|  September 10, 20078:45 am| 26 Comments

This post is in: Politics, Science & Technology

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Another study for the pile:

Participants were college students whose politics ranged from “very liberal” to “very conservative.” They were instructed to tap a keyboard when an M appeared on a computer monitor and to refrain from tapping when they saw a W.

M appeared four times more frequently than W, conditioning participants to press a key in knee-jerk fashion whenever they saw a letter.

Each participant was wired to an electroencephalograph that recorded activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that detects conflicts between a habitual tendency (pressing a key) and a more appropriate response (not pressing the key). Liberals had more brain activity and made fewer mistakes than conservatives when they saw a W, researchers said. Liberals and conservatives were equally accurate in recognizing M.

[…] Analyzing the data, Sulloway said liberals were 4.9 times as likely as conservatives to show activity in the brain circuits that deal with conflicts, and 2.2 times as likely to score in the top half of the distribution for accuracy.

Authors interpret the data to mean that liberals go into new experiences with a more open mind (if you assume that an ‘M’ will appear then you tend to see it). For much more on a similar topic, read Bob Altmeyer and some related research that I blogged a while ago.

Conservative readers feeling sore about abuse from the media-scientific establishment take heart, we’re all a bit nuts.

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Reader Interactions

26Comments

  1. 1.

    chopper

    September 10, 2007 at 9:32 am

    either that, or liberals as a whole have a strong revulsion to the letter ‘W’ for some reason. i wonder why.

  2. 2.

    Doug

    September 10, 2007 at 9:38 am

    That’s what I was going to say. I understand, they wanted to have letters that were similar. But using “W” in a conservative/liberal test seems like a poor choice.

  3. 3.

    The Other Steve

    September 10, 2007 at 9:44 am

    They should have used O and 0. That’d make you think!

    Or I and l.

    Or Q and O… ok, forget that last one, they’re just nuts.

  4. 4.

    Tom Hilton

    September 10, 2007 at 9:57 am

    So the gist of the study is that ‘knee-jerk conservative’ is a redundancy. This is news…how?

    (Happily, John is an exception; unhappily, his sort of exception is very rare.)

  5. 5.

    KCinDC

    September 10, 2007 at 9:57 am

    Chopper, the conservatives were the ones not seeing W.

  6. 6.

    magisterludi

    September 10, 2007 at 9:58 am

    I believe this study echoes several others. Remember the PIPA report on “cognitive dissonance” and Bush supporters?

  7. 7.

    Pb

    September 10, 2007 at 10:18 am

    Except, of course, if you read the article, you’ll find that…

    Researchers got the same results when they repeated the experiment in reverse, asking another set of participants to tap when a W appeared.

  8. 8.

    chopper

    September 10, 2007 at 10:30 am

    Chopper, the conservatives were the ones not seeing W.

    actually, both groups saw the W and were instructed not to tap the key when they saw it. liberals followed that instruction better than conservatives, who tapped the key after seeing W more often.

    Liberals[…]made fewer mistakes than conservatives when they saw a W, researchers said. Liberals and conservatives were equally accurate in recognizing M.

    all in all, it’s just a joke. i thought the choice of letters was a bit odd when you’re talking about politics, that’s all. kinda adds another variable that’s hard to quantify.

  9. 9.

    jrg

    September 10, 2007 at 10:39 am

    The article says that they reversed the letters used in the experiment and got the same results.

    The fact that conservatives are easily conditioned to act a specific way is nothing new. We’re talking about a group of people who (largely) believe that Iraq had WMDs, Saddam was behind 9/11, and the earth is 6,000 years old.

    New information too complex for the conservative mind includes (but is not limited to) strings consisting of a single letter.

    Wow.

  10. 10.

    Tom Hilton

    September 10, 2007 at 10:59 am

    This is priceless. A study shows that conservatives tend not to process information that doesn’t conform to their expectations, and the conservative reaction so far (Crittenden, Althouse, Cafe Hayek, Jammie Wearing Fool) is to dismiss it–which of course is exactly what you would predict based on the results of the study.

  11. 11.

    Pb

    September 10, 2007 at 11:36 am

    [At least] one of Althouse’s rationalizations of this study is priceless:

    Another issue I see now is: Which students volunteer to do psychological tests? It may be that liberal students want to help further science and conservative students are showing up for the cash. The conservative finds the most efficient way to get what he wants, which is the cash. Why bother getting the answers right?

    …that would go a long way to explaining the Iraq debacle…

  12. 12.

    Tim F.

    September 10, 2007 at 11:45 am

    The conservative finds the most efficient way to get what he wants, which is the cash. Why bother getting the answers right?

    This has to be one of the silliest arguments that Althouse has ever made. I realize that that statement is not made lightly.

  13. 13.

    JWeidner

    September 10, 2007 at 11:56 am

    i thought the choice of letters was a bit odd when you’re talking about politics, that’s all. kinda adds another variable that’s hard to quantify.

    I think it’s important to note that we don’t know what the test subjects were told in regards to the test they were taking. The fact that at some point they identified their political affiliation doesn’t necessarily mean that they were aware that the study was measuring the “political mindset.”

    I expect that the testing was set up in a way that the connection between politics and the “M” and “W” was not at all obvious. In which case, if I put myself in those shoes, I don’t think I would treat the letters “M” or “W” any differently than any other letters.

  14. 14.

    jrg

    September 10, 2007 at 11:57 am

    The conservative finds the most efficient way to get what he wants, which is the cash. Why bother getting the answers right?

    Shorter Althouse:

    In terms of calories burned, the human mind is one of the most expensive organs in the body, burning nearly 1/8th of the body’s energy.

    Perhaps conservatives are more “Intelligently Designed” than the rest of us. Instead of wasting these calories with “rational thought”, the energy is stored for later use in the calorie-intensive exercise of talking out one’s ass.

  15. 15.

    Paul L.

    September 10, 2007 at 2:20 pm

    No doubt liberals will take offence at this alternative interpretation posted by a commenter at Althouse.

    conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences. ”

    Read: Liberals are good people. Conservatives are stupid, unable to tell one letter from another.

    Or: Liberals have no standards, and can be made to believe anything at all, no matter how ridiculous.

    … Conservatives quickly discover how to avoid time-wasting. Recognizing the preponderance of Ms over Ws, vote M. Spending valuable thought on being precise about M vs W is a waste of your time. The more crucial question is: when the incentive to be right is correct, who is more accurate? For example, why spend effort on trivial matter whose consequences of being wrong are zero?

    I read the study. In contrast to their interpretation, it tells me that liberals easily do what they’re told. Conservatives resist.

    On second thought, liberals are so open-minded and tolerant that they will thoughtfully consider the interpretation and then reject it as mean-spirited hate speech that must be banned from public discourse.

  16. 16.

    Bubblegum Tate

    September 10, 2007 at 2:45 pm

    On second thought, liberals are so open-minded and tolerant that they will thoughtfully consider the interpretation and then reject it as mean-spirited hate speech that must be banned from public discourse.

    Well, I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I don’t reject that interpretation as being hate speech, nor do I want it banned.

    I do, however, reject it for being completely fucking stupid.

    Hope that helps, Paul.

  17. 17.

    Tim F.

    September 10, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    For a guy who has never to my knowledge been banned here, Paul seems to freak out about banning and silencing an awful lot. Project much?

  18. 18.

    jrg

    September 10, 2007 at 3:01 pm

    I read the study. In contrast to their interpretation, it tells me that liberals easily do what they’re told. Conservatives resist.

    Fight the power! When asked to take part in a study, do not refuse to participate… Agree to take part in the study. Then, when they least expect it, fling feces at the grad students, play with your jimmy, and lick the keyboard.

    That will teach those academics not to test your reasoning skills.

  19. 19.

    Paul L.

    September 10, 2007 at 3:10 pm

    For a guy who has never to my knowledge been banned here, Paul seems to freak out about banning and silencing an awful lot. Project much?

    Just experience with the Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake and Pandagon blogs.

    However, I will commend you and you and John for tolerating my dissent.

  20. 20.

    Paul L.

    September 10, 2007 at 3:24 pm

    Correction
    However, I will commend you and John for tolerating my dissent.

  21. 21.

    Jess

    September 10, 2007 at 3:54 pm

    There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of dealing with the world. I’m heartily sick of the liberal vs. conservative struggle to the death. I’ve learned a lot from both sides of the spectrum, and I think this country needs both.

    But if one side is willing to live and let live, and to consider other viewpoints, and the other side isn’t, what then?

  22. 22.

    chopper

    September 10, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    I read the study. In contrast to their interpretation, it tells me that liberals easily do what they’re told. Conservatives resist.

    exactly. when a conservative goes and participates in a study, where they’re specifically paid to follow the rules of the study, they screw the whole thing up by doing the opposite, cause fuck them and their ‘science’.

    this is why i never hire a conservative dude to work on my house. he’ll screw the whole thing up out of spite and take the money.

  23. 23.

    grumpy realist

    September 10, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    I’ve read that comment from Althouse three times now and still my reaction is the same “WTF?”

    How did Althouse get her position, anyway–is there some Affirmative Action for Blonde Bimbos that I don’t know about? She is rapidly making the school of law at Madison look like a total laughing stock.

  24. 24.

    SGEW

    September 10, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    She is rapidly making the school of law at Madison look like a total laughing stock.

    Even though I have certain opinions about Madison’s existent reputation, I will admirably refrain from making a snarky response to this, beyond this statement itself.

  25. 25.

    Nancy Irving

    September 11, 2007 at 5:31 am

    “…is there some Affirmative Action for Blonde Bimbos that I don’t know about?”

    Actually, yeah. It way precedes the civil rights movement in fact–by a few thousand years maybe.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1.   Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain - The Detroit Times says:
    September 10, 2007 at 11:48 am

    […] Others: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Moderate Voice, Jules Crittenden, Shakespeare’s Sister, DownWithTyranny!, The Mahablog, The Gun Toting Liberal™, Althouse, Angry Bear, Hullabaloo, Anything They Say, JammieWearingFool, Balloon Juice, Obsidian Wings and The Democratic Daily […]

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