Its just science . . . .

[bpwallace49]

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

By Stephanie Pappas | LiveScience.com – 2 hrs 55 mins agoE

 

»There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.

 

The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.

 

"Prejudice is extremely complex and multifaceted, making it critical that any factors contributing to bias are uncovered and understood," he said.

 

The findings combine three hot-button topics.

 

"They've pulled off the trifecta of controversial topics," said Brian Nosek, a social and cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia who was not involved in the study. "When one selects intelligence, political ideology and racism and looks at any of the relationships between those three variables, it's bound to upset somebody."

 

Polling data and social and political science research do show that prejudice is more common in those who hold right-wing ideals that those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience.

 

"The unique contribution here is trying to make some progress on the most challenging aspect of this," Nosek said, referring to the new study. "It's not that a relationship like that exists, but why it exists.

 

Earlier studies have found links between low levels of education and higher levels of prejudice, Hodson said, so studying intelligence seemed a logical next step. The researchers turned to two studies of citizens in the United Kingdom, one that has followed babies since their births in March 1958, and another that did the same for babies born in April 1970. The children in the studies had their intelligence assessed at age 10 or 11; as adults ages 30 or 33, their levels of social conservatism and racism were measured.

 

In the first study, verbal and nonverbal intelligence was measured using tests that asked people to find similarities and differences between words, shapes and symbols. The second study measured cognitive abilities in four ways, including number recall, shape-drawing tasks, defining words and identifying patterns and similarities among words. Average IQ is set at 100.

 

Social conservatives were defined as people who agreed with a laundry list of statements such as "Family life suffers if mum is working full-time," and "Schools should teach children to obey authority." Attitudes toward other races were captured by measuring agreement with statements such as "I wouldn't mind working with people from other races." (These questions measured overt prejudiced attitudes, but most people, no matter how egalitarian, do hold unconscious racial biases; Hodson's work can't speak to this "underground" racism.)

 

As suspected, low intelligence in childhood corresponded with racism in adulthood. But the factor that explained the relationship between these two variables was political: When researchers included social conservatism in the analysis, those ideologies accounted for much of the link between brains and bias.

 

People with lower cognitive abilities also had less contact with people of other races.

 

"This finding is consistent with recent research demonstrating that intergroup contact is mentally challenging and cognitively draining, and consistent with findings that contact reduces prejudice," said Hodson, who along with his colleagues published these results online Jan. 5 in the journal Psychological Science.

 

Hodson was quick to note that the despite the link found between low intelligence and social conservatism, the researchers aren't implying that all liberals are brilliant and all conservatives stupid. The research is a study of averages over large groups, he said.

 

"There are multiple examples of very bright conservatives and not-so-bright liberals, and many examples of very principled conservatives and very intolerant liberals," Hodson said.

 

Nosek gave another example to illustrate the dangers of taking the findings too literally.

 

"We can say definitively men are taller than women on average," he said. "But you can't say if you take a random man and you take a random woman that the man is going to be taller. There's plenty of overlap."

 

]Nonetheless, there is reason to believe that strict right-wing ideology might appeal to those who have trouble grasping the complexity of the world.

 

"Socially conservative ideologies tend to offer structure and order," Hodson said, explaining why these beliefs might draw those with low intelligence. "Unfortunately, many of these features can also contribute to prejudice."

 

In another study, this one in the United States, Hodson and Busseri compared 254 people with the same amount of education but different levels of ability in abstract reasoning. They found that what applies to racism may also apply to homophobia. People who were poorer at abstract reasoning were more likely to exhibit prejudice against gays. As in the U.K. citizens, a lack of contact with gays and more acceptance of right-wing authoritarianism explained the link.

 

Hodson and Busseri's explanation of their findings is reasonable, Nosek said, but it is correlational. That means the researchers didn't conclusively prove that the low intelligence caused the later prejudice. To do that, you'd have to somehow randomly assign otherwise identical people to be smart or dumb, liberal or conservative. Those sorts of studies obviously aren't possible.

 

The researchers controlled for factors such as education and socioeconomic status, making their case stronger, Nosek said. But there are other possible explanations that fit the data. For example, Nosek said, a study of left-wing liberals with stereotypically naïve views like "every kid is a genius in his or her own way," might find that people who hold these attitudes are also less bright. In other words, it might not be a particular ideology that is linked to stupidity, but extremist views in general.

 

"My speculation is that it's not as simple as their model presents it," Nosek said. "I think that lower cognitive capacity can lead to multiple simple ways to represent the world, and one of those can be embodied in a right-wing ideology where 'People I don't know are threats' and 'The world is a dangerous place'. ... Another simple way would be to just assume everybody is wonderful."

 

Prejudice is of particular interest because understanding the roots of racism and bias could help eliminate them, Hodson said. For example, he said, many anti-prejudice programs encourage participants to see things from another group's point of view. That mental exercise may be too taxing for people of low IQ.

 

"There may be cognitive limits in the ability to take the perspective of others, particularly foreigners," Hodson said. "Much of the present research literature suggests that our prejudices are primarily emotional in origin rather than cognitive. These two pieces of information suggest that it might be particularly fruitful for researchers to consider strategies to change feelings toward outgroups," rather than thoughts.

 

You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

 

discuss . . .

 

Edited January 26, 2012 by bpwallace49

[The Irish Doggy]

To celebrate this article, I will have tacos for dinner.

[tazinib1]

To celebrate this article, I will have tacos for dinner.

 

 

Will Detlef serve you an IPA with that meal?

[millerx]

Is this research done by the same people that are under the belief global warming is happening??

[Yukon Cornelius]

Is this research done by the same people that are under the belief global warming is happening??

ah keep up... it is happening but the cause is up for debate by some.

[isleseeya]

prejudice is not limited to dumb conservatives but its a start

[millerx]

ah keep up... it is happening but the cause is up for debate by some.

so you're prejudice too.... good to know.

Edited January 27, 2012 by millerx

[Jimmy Neutron]

I think prejudices of all kinds are rooted in nurture far more than in nature. Prejudice and stereotyping are easy ways too look at the world and may be employed by the stupid or even the smart and lazy.

[SEC=UGA]

I think prejudices of all kinds are rooted in nurture far more than in nature. Prejudice and stereotyping are easy ways too look at the world and may be employed by the stupid or even the smart and lazy.

 

Interesting.

 

I agree, to an extent. Really, I think prejudice is a rampant ailment that affects everybody. Some people will deny prejudice publicly based on the manner in which they were raised. Others are more open, honest about their prejudice.

 

When I see an unkempt, long haired, white dude dressed like a freaking hippie, I have a prejudice toward him. I view him as lazy, unproductive and having been most likely coddled throughout his life. Who knows, this person may be a very intelligent, hard working person, but that is not my perception as experience with people of his ilk has taught me to view them in the aforementioned manner.

 

When I see a dude who is all tatted up, I perceive him to be marginally intelligent, belligerent and possibly hostile. May not be true of that individual, but I'll be damned if I gonna take the time to find out.

 

The same goes for racial prejudice. This prejudice was not created in a vacuum. Most of the prejudice comes from experience and interactions with that group of people. Whites, hispanics and blacks in this country are notorious for basing prejudice on stereotypes and their often limited contact (or friend's and family's contact) with people of the differing race.

 

I would assert that there is not a single person in this country, no matter their intelligence or political leanings that is not prejudice against a certain "type" of person. It all boils down to whether said individual will honestly confess their dirty little secret to the people performing the study.

 

An interesting thing happened once while driving home from a UGA game. A buddy of mines wife is a screaming liberal. Always on a soap box about how women, blacks, hispanics are mistreated. Always on a rant about how racist conservatives are. She has branded me racist for being against Affirmative Action... It was a beautiful day and we were sitting in traffic on a side road, windows down, sunroof open, just enjoying the afterglow of a UGA victory. Well, here comes a group of black youths walking down the sidewalk, when she noticed them about ten feet off the front of the car, she frantically rolls up her window and hits the door locks, it was a reflex... One for which I still give her crap about to this day.

[Azazello1313]

it's tough to argue with that conclusion. I mean, just look at waterman and yukon.

[Ursa Majoris]

I read that article yesterday but decided against posting it. I do think it's mostly true - stupid people are drawn to any ideology that makes them feel superior to others. Rush serves this need to a T.

 

That said, it's not a one-way street. I agree with this:

 

But there are other possible explanations that fit the data. For example, Nosek said, a study of left-wing liberals with stereotypically naïve views like "every kid is a genius in his or her own way," might find that people who hold these attitudes are also less bright. In other words, it might not be a particular ideology that is linked to stupidity, but extremist views in general.

 

I guess that's about right.

[SNOWBOUND33]

ah keep up... it is happening but the cause is up for debate by some.

for thousands of years it's been happening. We current humans just figured out that we quite possibly have sped up the process, for now. Too many people.....thin the heard.

[I Like Soup]

for thousands of years it's been happening. We current humans just figured out that we quite possibly have sped up the process, for now. Too many people.....thin the heard.

Yeah, like you in your fancy twin turbo Flex.

[SNOWBOUND33]

Yeah, like you in your fancy twin turbo Flex.

Damn skippy. I get over 20 mpg without pounding the pedal constantly. We need this vehicle for it's size and I opted for some additional "Eco- Boost" power for a small up charge. At least I didn't give the money to some Japanese company. Oh, did I say that out loud??????

[I Like Soup]

Damn skippy. I get over 20 mpg without pounding the pedal constantly. We need this vehicle for it's size and I opted for some additional "Eco- Boost" power for a small up charge. At least I didn't give the money to some Japanese company. Oh, did I say that out loud??????

I've really grown to like Ford's stuff. My Dad has the new F150 with the new twin turbo ecoboost and that is a great engine. When it is time to retire my better half's minivan :coutingdowntime: we are going to look at vehicles like the Flex! My first requirement for her, it has to have power. You know, so she is safe and stuff...

[SNOWBOUND33]

I've really grown to like Ford's stuff. My Dad has the new F150 with the new twin turbo ecoboost and that is a great engine. When it is time to retire my better half's minivan :coutingdowntime: we are going to look at vehicles like the Flex! My first requirement for her, it has to have power. You know, so she is safe and stuff...

Nice to hear. I have a Ford employee in the family so I get a little inside info from time to time. I have an F-150 as well but it's not new, 5.4L and I get about 15????? With good tires, posi rear end and some deep snow or mud and it's still fun. Plus quiet, and smooth, but nothing like the Flex. It rides like a caddy on rails.

[bushwacked]

It has occurred to me that people who legitimately believe that Obama is a Kenyan born Socialist Mooslum and Al Qaeda had a direct link to Saddam aren't the most intelligent people.

Edited January 28, 2012 by bushwacked

[Chavez]

I think prejudices of all kinds are rooted in nurture far more than in nature. Prejudice and stereotyping are easy ways too look at the world and may be employed by the stupid or even the smart and lazy.

 

 

I think it's been shown that "us" vs "not-us" is pretty much hardwired into humanity.

 

The upside to that is the individual defines the "us" group, so racial prejudice isn't necessarily hardwired - but differing skin color/language is probably a pretty tough hurdle to overcome when you're talking about language. I.e. people saying "I'm not racist, my best friend is black!" may accept the individual in the "us" group but still view the majority of blacks as "not-us" and still be prejudiced against them.

[delusions of grandeur]

I think it's been shown that "us" vs "not-us" is pretty much hardwired into humanity.

Undoubtedly this. Just look at any war-time propaganda and rhetoric to see that "us-versus-them" effective because it already exists in everyone's psyche.

 

Also, isn't it fairly common knowledge that those on the extreme right end of the spectrum tend to flock to racist ideals, just the same as someone on the extreme-left are more prone to violence for opposite anarchic (but similarly prejudiced) reasons? I mean, suicide bombers are extreme-rightists, according to the definition, but it seems that thing all the prejudiced groups have in common is not necessarily an ideology as much as environmental factors and experiences, which much better explain why and who you're prejudiced against and to what degree.

 

As for intelligence, that's barely shocking either that people with lower IQs would also tend to be more racist... I just don't think it's as hereditary, and much more due to experiences/environment. Actually the way Htiler rallied Nazi-Germany against the Jews shows how remarkably easy it can be to breed racism under certain conditions.

 

Unfortunately articles like this, while yes being somewhat valid, only contribute to gross generalizations about groups (which ironically is the basis of prejudice).

Edited January 28, 2012 by delusions of granduer

[Chavez]

Also, isn't it fairly common knowledge that those on the extreme right end of the spectrum tend to flock to racist ideals, just the same as someone on the extreme-left are more prone to violence for opposite anarchic (but similarly prejudiced) reasons? I mean, suicide bombers are extreme-rightists, according to the definition...

My own personal view is that the political continuum isn't a line, it's a circle - go to far to the left or right and it doesn't much matter which direction you came from.

As for intelligence, that's barely shocking either that people with lower IQs would also tend to be more racist... I just don't think it's as hereditary, and much more due to experiences/environment.

 

One thing to note on this - probably within our grandparent's (if not our parent's, or in some cases, our own) lifetimes, I'd say that the upper classes were probably as racist, if not moreso, than the lower classes.

 

Granted, "class" doesn't equal "IQ" but it usually DOES equal "educated."

[SLAYER]

Interesting.

 

I agree, to an extent. Really, I think prejudice is a rampant ailment that affects everybody. Some people will deny prejudice publicly based on the manner in which they were raised. Others are more open, honest about their prejudice.

 

When I see an unkempt, long haired, white dude dressed like a freaking hippie, I have a prejudice toward him. I view him as lazy, unproductive and having been most likely coddled throughout his life. Who knows, this person may be a very intelligent, hard working person, but that is not my perception as experience with people of his ilk has taught me to view them in the aforementioned manner.

 

When I see a dude who is all tatted up, I perceive him to be marginally intelligent, belligerent and possibly hostile. May not be true of that individual, but I'll be damned if I gonna take the time to find out.

 

The same goes for racial prejudice. This prejudice was not created in a vacuum. Most of the prejudice comes from experience and interactions with that group of people. Whites, hispanics and blacks in this country are notorious for basing prejudice on stereotypes and their often limited contact (or friend's and family's contact) with people of the differing race.

 

I would assert that there is not a single person in this country, no matter their intelligence or political leanings that is not prejudice against a certain "type" of person. It all boils down to whether said individual will honestly confess their dirty little secret to the people performing the study.

 

An interesting thing happened once while driving home from a UGA game. A buddy of mines wife is a screaming liberal. Always on a soap box about how women, blacks, hispanics are mistreated. Always on a rant about how racist conservatives are. She has branded me racist for being against Affirmative Action... It was a beautiful day and we were sitting in traffic on a side road, windows down, sunroof open, just enjoying the afterglow of a UGA victory. Well, here comes a group of black youths walking down the sidewalk, when she noticed them about ten feet off the front of the car, she frantically rolls up her window and hits the door locks, it was a reflex... One for which I still give her crap about to this day.

 

What if he is a long hair white dude dressed like a hippie and all tatted up?

[Ice1]

Just Science?

 

It is not science when the author has this education level.

 

 

Education:

 

 

• University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Graduate certificate in Science Writing, June 2009
    

   

  [*] University of South Carolina, Columbia

  • Bachelor of arts in psychology, minor in medical humanities, May 2006
    

   

   

 

Come on people, this might as well have been authored by Snooki.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Ice1

[Sugar Magnolia]

Interesting.

 

I agree, to an extent. Really, I think prejudice is a rampant ailment that affects everybody. Some people will deny prejudice publicly based on the manner in which they were raised. Others are more open, honest about their prejudice.

 

When I see an unkempt, long haired, white dude dressed like a freaking hippie, I have a prejudice toward him. I view him as lazy, unproductive and having been most likely coddled throughout his life. Who knows, this person may be a very intelligent, hard working person, but that is not my perception as experience with people of his ilk has taught me to view them in the aforementioned manner.

 

When I see a dude who is all tatted up, I perceive him to be marginally intelligent, belligerent and possibly hostile. May not be true of that individual, but I'll be damned if I gonna take the time to find out.

 

The same goes for racial prejudice. This prejudice was not created in a vacuum. Most of the prejudice comes from experience and interactions with that group of people. Whites, hispanics and blacks in this country are notorious for basing prejudice on stereotypes and their often limited contact (or friend's and family's contact) with people of the differing race.

 

I would assert that there is not a single person in this country, no matter their intelligence or political leanings that is not prejudice against a certain "type" of person. It all boils down to whether said individual will honestly confess their dirty little secret to the people performing the study.

 

An interesting thing happened once while driving home from a UGA game. A buddy of mines wife is a screaming liberal. Always on a soap box about how women, blacks, hispanics are mistreated. Always on a rant about how racist conservatives are. She has branded me racist for being against Affirmative Action... It was a beautiful day and we were sitting in traffic on a side road, windows down, sunroof open, just enjoying the afterglow of a UGA victory. Well, here comes a group of black youths walking down the sidewalk, when she noticed them about ten feet off the front of the car, she frantically rolls up her window and hits the door locks, it was a reflex... One for which I still give her crap about to this day.

 

Most of my friends under the age of 30 have tatts, and all are college grads--one is a high school teacher with his tatoo displayed prominently on his forearm.

 

Most of my friends who are in their 50's and 60's were once long haired hippies, and just about all are retired early from very successful careers. Some still have long hair but most who are balding because they don't like the George Carlin look. I have a several friends who are ex-hippies and were able to retire while their kids were still young, and not in college, and could retire and put their kids through the best schools. One sold his tech company, one an exec for a tech co., one a UPS exec, another sold his meat packing or processing co., and another owned his own medical practice. You can't judge a book by it's cover.

[wiegie]

Interesting.

 

I agree, to an extent. Really, I think prejudice is a rampant ailment that affects everybody. Some people will deny prejudice publicly based on the manner in which they were raised. Others are more open, honest about their prejudice.

 

When I see an unkempt, long haired, white dude dressed like a freaking hippie, I have a prejudice toward him. I view him as lazy, unproductive and having been most likely coddled throughout his life. Who knows, this person may be a very intelligent, hard working person, but that is not my perception as experience with people of his ilk has taught me to view them in the aforementioned manner.

 

When I see a dude who is all tatted up, I perceive him to be marginally intelligent, belligerent and possibly hostile. May not be true of that individual, but I'll be damned if I gonna take the time to find out.

 

The same goes for racial prejudice. This prejudice was not created in a vacuum. Most of the prejudice comes from experience and interactions with that group of people. Whites, hispanics and blacks in this country are notorious for basing prejudice on stereotypes and their often limited contact (or friend's and family's contact) with people of the differing race.

I'd make the distinction there that tats and not washing are choices a person has made, while race is not a choice.

 

An interesting thing happened once while driving home from a UGA game. A buddy of mines wife is a screaming liberal. Always on a soap box about how women, blacks, hispanics are mistreated. Always on a rant about how racist conservatives are. She has branded me racist for being against Affirmative Action... It was a beautiful day and we were sitting in traffic on a side road, windows down, sunroof open, just enjoying the afterglow of a UGA victory. Well, here comes a group of black youths walking down the sidewalk, when she noticed them about ten feet off the front of the car, she frantically rolls up her window and hits the door locks, it was a reflex... One for which I still give her crap about to this day.

My best friend from graduate school is black. Near where we went to school was a relatively affluent area full of rich white ladies driving around. Whenever my friend pulled up next to one of them in his car he made it a point to look over at them and then quickly and very conspicuously reach over to lock HIS car door. Edited January 29, 2012 by wiegie

[bushwacked]

Just Science?

 

It is not science when the author has this education level.

 

 

Education:

 

 

• University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Graduate certificate in Science Writing, June 2009

   

  [*] University of South Carolina, Columbia

  • Bachelor of arts in psychology, minor in medical humanities, May 2006

   

   

 

Come on people, this might as well have been authored by Snooki.

 

You think the merits of scientific research should be based on the academia of a journalist reporting said research? Hmmmmm......

Edited January 29, 2012 by bushwacked