Study Links Low IQ and Conservative Beliefs To Prejudice

Posted by Christopher Welch on Jan 26, 2012 in U.S. | 11 comments

This groundbreaking study out of Brock University in Ontario, Canada has identified a link between people who possess low IQs in addition to conservative beliefs and increased presence of racism.

Lead research psychologist Gordon Hodson used the data from previous studies which analyzed the increased level of racism in children who received less education to begin his study’s look at how intelligence played a role in such behavior.

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.

To give you a little perspective, here is a map from 2009 detailing the levels of conservative and liberal ideology in America. What do you think?

In other news, the sky is blue and fire is hot.

(via LiveScience)

http://profile.yahoo.com/UJ2FIH6OX6M2VXHALRETRK42I4 Jen

Huh. I’m ready to see North Carolina a “lighter green” on these types of things. Considering that the Durham-Raleigh-Chapel Hill Triangle in NC has the highest level of PhD’s in the nation, and both Durham & Raleigh were in the top 20 most tolerant cities by the Daily Beast. Just sayin’.

http://www.facebook.com/hubbardrl Raven Hubbard

NC is an odd place, in the urban areas, like Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro you will find a majority of liberal people in rural areas of the state, the majority of people are conservative.

http://www.facebook.com/dgandara Daniel Gandara

I’m a psychologist and I get tired when i see people say things like “the sky is blue and fire is hot” when seeing the result of our research. Laypeople assume that this information is “common sense” well here’s a colloquialism in return “common sense isn’t so common”. It’s because we do these tests we are able to provide evidence for assumptions that people hold. Fascinating thing about social psychology, we think the outcomes of any study are “obvious”

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1365172585 James Rodgers Jr

I’m sorry, don’t get mad at me for this: “And how does that make you feel?”

Now for the serious portion….

Though not a psychologist, I’ve taken more than a few classes on the subject (and spent more than enough time in their chairs), as well as sociology (and yes I realize they are different and don’t mix the two but it works here), and I have heard both sides bring up this exact point that you did. As one of my professors said “If the results were that obvious, why would we be doing the study in the first place?”

http://www.facebook.com/dgandara Daniel Gandara

Haha!!! “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” ROFL.

I agree! For all the contributions that we (psychology, sociology, and other group-based scientific fields) have made, we are often cast as finding phenomena that already exist. We can’t explain why relationships exist until we first confirm them.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chreiya-Sonia-Zaari/100001967165977 Chreiya Sonia Zaari

Not surprising.
http://www.MaleEroticEvolution.com Michael!

These findings really should come as no surprise.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Caitlin-Brett/1622301088 Caitlin Brett

correlation studies..not accurate. I’d like to see more data on this please

http://www.facebook.com/dgandara Daniel Gandara

correlation studies are accurate, not causal.

http://www.facebook.com/odinn.celusta Odinn Celusta

Similar “studies” always seem to publish their breakthrough findings every four years, and are almost never studies of correlation between political mode and average IQ, or are simply fraudulent. I am slow to trust these Super Scientific findings (look, we made a chart!) without extensive, corroborated sources. Even if the data is correct, what can that mean? It could indicate any number of things, from liberal states having different IQ testing methods or republican states having different census methods. I tend to have a liberal bias, but I think its a spurious notion to say that someone who holds a differing opinion is ‘obviously’ less intelligent. To accept it as fact without adequate testing wouldn’t bear out the hypothesis of my “superior liberal mind.”
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003238613813 Noyb Nal

Does that mean that the anti-semitic Occupy people are actually right wingers? Or does anti-semitic not count as racism?

As an academic, I know that some find data to support their claims and minimize findings that do not. It is human nature. I am skeptical of a study (conducted by a left leaning person, of course), who makes such sweeping generalizations.

It is ironic to me that what we hate about racism is being done in this study, generalizing people.

Tags

Study Links Low IQ and Conservative Beliefs To Prejudice

Pages

Tags

Study Links Low IQ and Conservative Beliefs To Prejudice

Yo Categories

Pages