The Huffington Post Rebecca Searles First Posted: 02/ 1/2012 8:52
am Updated: 02/ 1/2012 3:21 pm
Are racists dumb? Do conservatives tend to be less intelligent than liberals?
A provocative new study from Brock University in Ontario
suggests the answer to both questions may be a qualified yes.
The study, published in Psychological Science, showed that people who
score low on I.Q. tests in childhood are more likely to develop
prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood.
I.Q., or intelligence quotient, is a score determined by standardized
tests, but whether the tests truly reveal intelligence remains a topic
of hot debate among psychologists.
Dr. Gordon Hodson, a professor of psychology at the university and the
study's lead author, said the finding represented evidence of a
vicious cycle: People of low intelligence gravitate toward socially
conservative ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in
turn, prejudice, he told LiveScience.
Why might less intelligent people be drawn to conservative ideologies?
Because such ideologies feature "structure and order" that make it
easier to comprehend a complicated world, Dodson said. "Unfortunately,
many of these features can also contribute to prejudice," he added.
Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, echoed those sentiments.
"Reality is complicated and messy," he told The Huffington Post in an
email. "Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler
solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive
capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies."
But Nosek said less intelligent types might be attracted to liberal
"simplifying ideologies" as well as conservative ones.
In any case, the study has taken the Internet by storm, with some
outspoken liberals saying that it validates their suspicions about
conservatives and conservatives arguing that the research has been
misinterpreted.
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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http://www.impeachobamacampaign.com/how-obamas-eligibility-fiasco-poses-trouble-for-dems/
Posted by Kevin "Coach" Collins on January 31, 2012 ·
inShare5
If Georgia's Secretary of State says Obama is off the ballot, it will set in motion a scary domino effect that will devastate down ballot Democrats.
It's doubtful that the media will explain what is likely to happen if there is a blank space at the top of the Democrat slate in Georgia next November, but here's a likely scenario.
The results the latest IBD/TIPP survey hold nothing but bad news for Obama and his Democrats. Almost 2 /3 of the respondents agreed that we are preparing for the most important election since 1860. Even in the of hard evidence, can there be any doubt that those who are disinterested and feel no sense of urgency about this election probably have very little connection to our America except as a place to demand from to pay for their America?
"Voter Interest" in this election can rightly be used interchangeably with "voter intensity", which in turn translates to "voter enthusiasm" to vote.
Last March, Republican enthusiasm was 5 points higher than Democrat enthusiasm, but that difference had grown to a 21 point edge in an October CNN survey.
CNN found that 64% of Republicans are either extremely or very enthusiastic about voting in November which was up 3 points from June. Democrats by contrast had just a 43% enthusiasm level as they looked forward to voting in November.
These kinds of numbers are the stuff of titanic defeats for Democrats.
A 2010 enthusiasm edge of 19 points at 63/44 for Republicans gave them pickups of 680 state level legislative seats and 64 Congressional seats.
Today's IBD/TIPP survey shows that Republicans are 26 points more enthusiastic than Democrats with no telling how far the gap will grow. Clearly getting rank and file Democrats out to vote for Barack Obama or anyone other Democrat will be an uphill battle.
Very dangerous territory for Democrats
A December Gallup mega survey of 5000 voters in 12 swing states revealed non-white enthusiasm was 32%. Compared to 2008 when 65% of blacks voted 97% for Obama, this is a stunning number.
If black enthusiasm to vote is already less than half 2008 levels, one has to wonder how many blacks will turn out to vote for ANY Democrat without Obama at the top of their ticket.
If the Obama Citizenship cases in other states are successful, it will be a disaster for down ballot Democrats like never before.
Related posts:
U.S. military commanders had said in recent weeks they would begin a
transition this year toward taking more of an advisory role as
Afghanistan's national army and police take greater responsibility for
fighting the insurgency. But Panetta's remarks are the first time the
Obama administration has said it could foresee an end to regular U.S.
and NATO combat operations by the second half of next year.
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
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