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Dave Chance
Joined: 30 May 2011
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 Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:46 am Post subject: Conservative views said to reflect on intelligence |
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http://www.livescience.com/18132-intelligence-social-conservatism-racism.html
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.
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 than those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience.
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.
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.
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UknowsI
Joined: 16 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| It's interesting to see how the article uses the words "conservative" and "racist" interchangeably. I would be more surprised if they found a connection between fiscal conservatives and low IQ, but that is how I interpreted the title. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| UknowsI wrote: |
| It's interesting to see how the article uses the words "conservative" and "racist" interchangeably. I would be more surprised if they found a connection between fiscal conservatives and low IQ, but that is how I interpreted the title. |
A lot of corruption happens between the actual findings of the study and the treatment reporters give those findings. And then there's the corruption that the reporting of studies does to the studies themselves, particularly the selection of studies. I don't know who Gordon Hodson is, but from the selection of his study matter alone, I would argue he is an attention-seeker.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/)
The limits of peer review |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Conservative views said to reflect on intelligence |
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| Dave Chance wrote: |
http://www.livescience.com/18132-intelligence-social-conservatism-racism.html
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.
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 than those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience.
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.
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.
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I agree with Kuros in terms of having trouble with such questions asked and the findings. How do you measure IQ? I think that the level of your education does connect to how educate you are in my opinion. Korea is supposedly a conservative country in many ways, and many people have a high IQ. What about that? In the Middle East, the people of Jordan have a higher IQ than the people of Egypt, and the Egyptians tend to be less tolerant of their Christian minority in their country in comparison to the Jordanians. Literacy in Jordan is at 97%. In Egypt, it's no more than 60%, and there's much more poverty. Korea has an average IQ of 106, and, in Canada, it's 97. Using that logic, Korea should be a more tolerant country. This study is, obviously, flawed.
It should look at so many factors instead of just IQ. There are countries where people have a high IQ and the people are rather conservative. The Japanese are more conservative than the French, and they have a higher average IQ. I would say that you're probably more likely to be tolerant if you have a higher IQ. However, I think it depends on what kind of education you have and the political culture and mores of a place. You can't exactly measure that the way it was done.
I agree with the notion that if you're not very educated and/or don't have a high IQ, then you're very likely to have prejudiced views and not be able to see cultural complexities, and you're not so willing to see those complexities because you're not accustomed to thinking in more than a one dimensional way. That's a serious problem in America, IMHO. I see people making comments on races and ethnic groups, and it's clear how so many people are one-dimensional in their thinking. I don't think it means they're "dumb". They didn't have the proper education, cultural climate conducive to seeing cultures and peoples of the world as complex. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. |
Since this study specifically refers to socially conservative adults, it seems entirely plausible to me that, within a given culture, those who are socially conservative would have lower IQ scores, just as those who are economically socialist would have lower IQ scores.
This supports other IQ results from surveys years ago that showed, on average, that Republican voters had slightly higher IQ scores than Democrats, and Libertarian voters were 20 points higher than either.
People who support big government in one area or another tend to have lower IQ scores. People who support big government across the board have the lowest IQs. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. |
Since this study specifically refers to socially conservative adults, it seems entirely plausible to me that, within a given culture, those who are socially conservative would have lower IQ scores, just as those who are economically socialist would have lower IQ scores.
This supports other IQ results from surveys years ago that showed, on average, that Republican voters had slightly higher IQ scores than Democrats, and Libertarian voters were 20 points higher than either.
People who support big government in one area or another tend to have lower IQ scores. People who support big government across the board have the lowest IQs. |
In Sweden, they're somewhat socialist. However, the average IQ in Sweden is 101, and in the U.S. it's 98. Germany is at 102.
If you support a social democratic state it doesn't entail that you have a low IQ. The thing is what America defines as socially conservative is different from what other countries define as conservative. In the U.S., conservative too often entails being religious. That's often not the case in places like Canada, England, and Sweden. The problem is what definitions you use and how you define intelligence. I may agree with you if you say ideological extremists are less likely to act in a rational manner.
When you say socialist, do you mean communist? I don't view socialism as communism per se anymore than I necessarily view conservatism as fascism. |
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Squire
Joined: 26 Sep 2010
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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I would expect fiscal conservatives (libertarian types) to have higher IQs than average, social conservatives to be lower and lefties to be generally average to high IQ. That's from the POV of a British person, incidentally
However, I'd question anyone's intelligence who follows a party line almost to the letter |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Squire wrote: |
| I would expect fiscal conservatives (libertarian types) to have higher IQs than average, social conservatives to be lower and lefties to be generally average to high IQ. That's from the POV of a British person, incidentally |
Yes. But correlation may not be causation. Studies have shown that on a statistical scale, higher IQs mean higher income.
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| The conclusion: In the US, higher IQs tend to take up university majors that equip them for higher paid jobs. This is not universally true of course, but it is true statistically. |
Now, if higher IQs make more income, then such individuals are more likely to suffer higher tax rates on their income. We should expect such individuals, on a statistical level, to favor fiscal conservatism. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. |
Since this study specifically refers to socially conservative adults, it seems entirely plausible to me that, within a given culture, those who are socially conservative would have lower IQ scores, just as those who are economically socialist would have lower IQ scores.
This supports other IQ results from surveys years ago that showed, on average, that Republican voters had slightly higher IQ scores than Democrats, and Libertarian voters were 20 points higher than either.
People who support big government in one area or another tend to have lower IQ scores. People who support big government across the board have the lowest IQs. |
In Sweden, they're somewhat socialist. However, the average IQ in Sweden is 101, and in the U.S. it's 98. Germany is at 102.
If you support a social democratic state it doesn't entail that you have a low IQ. The thing is what America defines as socially conservative is different from what other countries define as conservative. In the U.S., conservative too often entails being religious. That's often not the case in places like Canada, England, and Sweden. The problem is what definitions you use and how you define intelligence. I may agree with you if you say ideological extremists are less likely to act in a rational manner.
When you say socialist, do you mean communist? I don't view socialism as communism per se anymore than I necessarily view conservatism as fascism. |
I understand that there are differences within different cultures, which I mentioned originally.
Sweeden, for example, is more socially liberal overall than the US. Those who favor hands off in the economic sphere tend to be socially liberal or tolerant as well- higher IQ by the implications of the study. Those favoring socialist economics but still socially tolerant would be lower, but still be smarter than those who favor government control of everything. In any case, national averages are close and there are many other factors within a culture, so national comparisons are interesting but none of this really means a whole lot. |
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