Perceptual Differences between Liberals and Conservatives (2010)

Undergraduate: Leah Townsend

Faculty Advisor: Jesse Prinz
Department: Philosophy

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When asked whether someone of the opposite political orientation thinks differently, most people don't hesitate in responding 'yes'. However, is there a scientific basis to this? Do liberals and conservatives actually perceive situations differently? Recent work by Haidt certainly suggests so, indicating that political orientation significantly impacts moral reasoning and decision making (Haidt, 2007). Taking this into consideration, could political orientation affect other things that we hold as basic, uninfluenced by politics in any way? This study examined whether judgments about the normality of a social situation are influenced by political orientation. Specifically, it was expected that liberals would view situations that contained weak liberal 'triggers' as more normal than conservatives or moderates would view the same situation. Conversely, it was expected that conservatives would view situations that contained weak conservative 'triggers' as more normal than either liberals or moderates would view the same situation. This effect was in fact observed, contributing to the understanding of differences between liberals and conservatives by demonstrating from where misunderstandings between liberals and conservatives may potentially arise.
Haidt, J. et al. (2007). The New Synthesis in Moral Psychology. Science, 316, 998.