POLI 100M: Poli-cal Psychology Lecture 2: Individual Differences - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

POLI 100M: Poli-cal Psychology

Lecture 2: Individual Differences Taylor N. Carlson Beenstr@ucsd.edu

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Last Time

• Syllabus overview
• What is poli-cal psychology? Why do we

study it?

• The components of the Poli-cal Being
• How do we study poli-cal psychology?

– Surveys – Psychophysiological data – Experiments (lab and field) – Correla-on ≠ Causa-on

What ques-ons do you have?

Today: Driving Ques-ons

• How do individual psychological or biological

differences impact poli-cal behavior?

– Personality – Gene-cs – Psychophysiology

• Why should we care about individual

differences as they relate to poli-cal behavior?

Today: Learning Outcomes

• 1. Iden-fy the Big 5 Personality Characteris-cs
• 2. Iden-fy some of the key forms of poli-cal behavior

that correlate with different personality types and explain the intui-on behind these correla-ons

• 3. List some poli-cal behaviors and abtudes that

correlate with gene-cs

• 4. Iden-fy the main psychophysiological measures used

to study poli-cal behavior and why they are useful

• 5. Describe some of the rela-onships between

psychophysiology and poli-cal behavior

• 6. Evaluate why we should care about individual

differences in personality, psychophysiology, and gene-cs as they relate to poli-cal behavior

Personality

What is personality?

• Many defini-ons!
• Important and rela-vely stable aspects of a person

that account for consistent paPerns of behavior that may be observable or unobservable, conscious or unconscious

• In poli-cal psychology, we’re mainly interested in how

personality traits predict poli-cal behaviors and abtudes

– Par-sanship – Vote choice – Whether to vote or par-cipate in poli-cs – Informa-on seeking – Engagement in poli-cal discussions – Many more!

What is personality?

• Important and rela-vely stable aspects of a

person that account for consistent paPerns of behavior that may be observable or unobservable, conscious or unconscious

• Broad defini-on! Want to think about more

concrete traits that we can use to describe and predict behavior

• What traits have you heard of?

The Big Five

• 1. Openness to Experience
• 2. Conscien-ousness
• 3. Extraversion
• 4. Agreeableness
• 5. Neuro-cism

Source: Boundless. "The Five-Factor Model." Boundless Psychology Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016. Retrieved 12 Jul. 2017 from hPps://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/personality-16/trait-perspec-ves-on- personality-79/the-five-factor-model-311-12846/

Openness

What poli-cal behaviors or abtudes are linked to openness?

• Conserva-ve/Republican
• Less engagement
• Seek less informa-on
• Par-cipate less in poli-cal

discussions

• Pay less aPen-on
• Less poli-cally knowledgeable
• Less opinionated
• Liberal/Democrat
• More engagement
• Seek more informa-on
• Par-cipate more in poli-cal

discussions

• Pay more aPen-on
• More poli-cally knowledgeable
• More opinionated

Conscien-ousness

What poli-cal behaviors or abtudes are linked to conscien-ousness?

• Liberal/Democrat
• More poli-cal knowledge
• Par-cipate more in

poli-cal discussions

• Conserva-ve/Republican
• Low poli-cal knowledge
• Par-cipate less in poli-cal

discussion

Extraversion

What poli-cal behaviors or abtudes are linked to extraversion?

• Watch the news less
• Less opinionated
• Par-cipate less in poli-cal

discussions

• Par-cipate more in

individual poli-cal ac-vi-es

• Watch the news more
• More opinionated
• Par-cipate more in

poli-cal discussions

• Par-cipate more in social

poli-cal ac-vi-es

Agreeableness

What poli-cal behaviors or abtudes are linked to agreeableness?

• High poli-cal knowledge
• Pay more aPen-on to poli-cs
• More opinionated
• More engaged
• Par-cipate more in poli-cal

discussions

• Don’t support welfare policies
• Don’t support interna-onal

coopera-on

• Low poli-cal knowledge
• Pay less aPen-on to poli-cs
• Less opinionated
• Less engaged
• Par-cipate less in poli-cal

discussions

• Support welfare policies
• Support interna-onal coopera-on

Neuro-cism

What poli-cal behaviors or abtudes are linked to neuro-cism?

• More collec-ve ac-on
• Slightly more

conserva-ve/Republican

• Less opinionated
• Less collec-ve ac-on
• Slightly more liberal/

Democra-c

• More opinionated

The Big Five Summary

• Openness and Extraversion have the strongest

influences over poli-cal outcomes

• Agreeableness, conscien-ousness, and

neuro-cism influence some behaviors, but generally are inconsistent

Other Personality Traits

• Poli-cal psychologists also examine other

personality characteris-cs, such as:

– Social anxiety – Authoritarianism – Conflict avoidance – Willingness to self-censor – Need for cogni-on

• The Big Five are s-ll the main focus

Ques-ons?

5 minute break

Biopoli-cs

Gene-cs, Psychophysiology, and Poli-cs

Why Biology?

• Broadly, why do we do what we do?
• What makes us who we are?
• Nature vs. Nurture
• Both biology and our environment influence

poli-cal behaviors

An Evolu-onary Theory of Poli-cal Behavior

• “Allows for the combina-on of familial

socializa-on, cultural norms, environmental s-muli, ra-onal ac-on, and endogenous or innate influences…” (Hatemi & McDermoP 2011)

– Allows us to predict how individuals vary in their poli-cal behavior – Biological and Environmental factors work together

Gene-cs

Gene-cs: Some Background

• Gene: the func-onal and physical unit of

heredity passed from parent to offspring

• Video Clip:

American Society of Human Gene-cs

• Many human traits (height, hair color, eye

color) can be inherited from parents

– Complex traits are impacted by both genes and the environment

Example: Height

• Both parents are really

tall (genes)

• Child never eats fruit,

vegetables, protein, etc. (environment)

• Child might not be as

tall as his/her gene-c poten-al

I’m even standing on a rock…

Genes and the Environment

• Gene-c makeup is constant throughout our

lives

• Genes alone do not determine our future
• All genes work in the context of our

environment

Twin Studies

Twin Studies

• Iden-cal twins have the same gene-c makeup
• Ideal way to test genes vs. environment?

– Twin Studies!

• Raised in the same household (share environment)
• Raised in different households (different environment)
• Iden-cal twins raised apart have about an equal

chance of being similar to each other in terms of personality, interests, and abtudes as iden-cal twins raised together.

Gene-cs + Poli-cs = Genopoli-cs

• Genes + environment influence our behavior

and abtudes

• Poli/cal behavior and abtudes too!

Genopoli-cs: Abtudes

• Shared genes can explain up to 50% of the

variance in the following poli-cal abtudes:

– Immigra-on – Death penalty – Euthanasia – Conserva-sm – Authoritarianism

Genopoli-cs: Behavior

• The following poli-cal behaviors are in part

heritable:

– Being a leader – Religiosity (how oven you aPend religious services, how religiously observant you are) – Voter par-cipa-on – Poli-cal intensity – Par-san aPachment (how strongly you feel aPached to your poli-cal party)

Genopoli-cs: Key Points

• Voter preferences are not simply a func-on of
• ne’s issue posi-ons, party affilia-on, or level
• f informa-on (environmental)
• Rather, they reflect elements influenced by
• ne’s gene-c makeup too
• Genes do not determine poli-cal abtudes or

behavior (there isn’t a “voter gene” or a “conserva-ve gene”), but with the environment they can have an impact

Ques-ons?

Psychophysiology

Psychophysiology

• “The scien-fic study of cogni-ve, emo-onal,

and behavioral phenomena as related to and revealed through physiological principles and events” (Cacioppo & Tassinary 1990)

• Assump-on: human thought, emo-on, and

ac-ons are physiologically embodied

Psychophysiology

• Psychological states have a physiological basis

– When you experience fear, what does your body do? – When you experience anxiety, what does your body do?

• Changes in our bodies are in some way related to

changes in our psychological states

• Mind-body connec-on is a route through which

gene-cs could impact social abtudes and behavior

Psychophysiology: the not so missing link Genes Poli-cal abtudes & behavior

Psychophysiology: the not so missing link Genes Physiology Poli-cal abtudes & behavior

Psychophysiological Measurement

• Recall from Lecture 1: What are some things

that we can measure when doing psychophysiological research?

A Typical Psychophysiological Study

• Enter the lab, inform consent, answer some

survey ques-ons

• Wash hands, get fiPed with the equipment
• Collect baseline physiological measures
• Watch videos, look at pictures (s-muli)

– Example: Videos of people arguing about poli-cs, campaign ads, presiden-al speeches – Example: Previously validated videos or images designed to evoke certain emo-ons

• Answer some more survey ques-ons

Example S-muli

• Interna-onal Affec-ve Picture System (IAPS) is

a set of images designed to evoke certain emo-ons

– Disgust – Fear – Happiness – Etc.

Psychophysiology and Poli-cs

• Disgust Sensi-vity

– Conserva-ves are more disgust sensi-ve than are liberals – Those with higher disgust sensi-vity are more likely to oppose immigra-on, abor-on, and gay marriage – Why?

Psychophysiology and Poli-cs

• Threat sensi-vity

– Those who are more physiologically reac-ve (EDA) to threat are more likely to be persuaded by messages that are framed to invoke physical danger – Broader point is that physiological predisposi-ons can make some people more suscep-ble to persuasion depending on the frame

Psychophysiology and Poli-cs

• Physiological arousal in response to uncivil

discourse

– Individuals are more physiologically reac-ve (EDA) to viewing poli-cians argue in an uncivil manner than a civil manner

Psychophysiology and Poli-cs

• Physiological arousal and par-cipa-ng in

poli-cal discussions

– Individuals show a much larger increase in heart rate when told that they will have to discuss poli-cs with another person than watching videos

• f people arguing about poli-cs or apoli-cal

topics. – Par/cipa/ng is more physiologically arousing than

• bserving

Psychophysiology and Poli-cs

• Heart rate and preferences for agreement

– Individuals whose heart rates increase the most when told to discuss poli-cs are more likely to discuss poli-cs with people who agree with them in the real world – The idea is that discussing poli-cs is physiologically uncomfortable, so people try to avoid that discomfort by discussing poli-cs with people who agree with them

Psychophysiology Summary

• Psychophysiological differences between

liberals and conserva-ves

• Psychophysiology can affect how we receive

and process poli-cal informa-on

• Psychophysiology is connected to how we

view poli-cians deba-ng issues and our own engagement in poli-cs

• Ac-ve and growing area of research!

Ques-ons?

5 minute break

Why should we care?

• The rela-onships between individual

differences and poli-cal abtudes and behavior are interes-ng

• But…why should we care?

Ac-vity

• Get together in groups of 2-3 people
• You are a campaign strategy team for a candidate of your

choice

• You have the opportunity to get personality, gene-c, and

physiological data on cons-tuents in your candidate’s district

• Do you choose to use that data?

– If NO: Why not? What informa-on are you missing out on by not using that data? What if your compe-tor has the data? – If YES: How will you use the data to help your candidate win?

• One person in each group should write down your

responses to turn in. Make sure all group-members’ names are on the paper.