Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Thinkers v. True Believers

Monday's Los Angeles Times had an interesting article about scientific research into the minds of liberals and conservatives. This research went beyond the political:

Previous psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences. The latest study found those traits are not confined to political situations but also influence everyday decisions.

The results show 'there are two cognitive styles -- a liberal style and a conservative style,' said UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Iacoboni, who was not connected to the latest research.
This tends to confirm an earlier survey that liberals tend to read more than conservatives and are more interested in nuance and shades of grey than hard principles.

The next question, it seems to me, is the chicken or egg thing - which comes first? The socio/political worldview or the analytical bias? Does one become a conservative because their thinking is more structured or vice versa?

No comments: