Age differences in right-wing authoritarianism and their relation to emotion recognition.

Abstract

This study examined the correlates of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) in older adults. Participants were given tasks measuring emotion recognition, executive functions and fluid IQ and questionnaires measuring RWA, perceived threat and social dominance orientation. Study 1 established higher age-related RWA across the age span in more than 2,600 New Zealanders. Studies 2 to 4 found that threat, education, social dominance and age all predicted unique variance in older adults' RWA, but the most consistent predictor was emotion recognition, predicting unique variance in older adults' RWA independent of all other variables. We argue that older adults' worse emotion recognition is associated with a more general change in social judgment. Expression of extreme attitudes (right- or left-wing) has the potential to antagonize others, but worse emotion recognition means that subtle signals will not be perceived, making the expression of extreme attitudes more likely. Our findings are consistent with other studies showing that worsening emotion recognition underlies age-related declines in verbosity, understanding of social gaffes, and ability to detect lies. Such results indicate that emotion recognition is a core social insight linked to many aspects of social cognition.

The Role Of Negative Personality Traits In Psychological Adaptation

“…The results obtained revealed that authoritarianism is not changed linearly with age. These results somewhat differ from the data obtained in a number of foreign works (in the Belgian, Polish and New Zealand samples), in which authoritarianism and its correlates demonstrate linear growth over the entire age range -from adolescence to old age (Cornelis et al, 2009;Ruffman et al, 2016;Truett, 1993). It can be assumed that the dynamics of age differences obtained in our study may be the result of instability typical for the post-Soviet period.…”

The Role of Personality, Authoritarianism and Cognition in the United Kingdom’s 2016 Referendum on European Union Membership

“…Indeed, the 'Vote Leave' campaign message of 'Take Back Control' would seem well constructed to appeal to voters with more authoritarian attitudes as it may resonate with associated motives such as an intolerance for uncertainty and the need for structure and order (Hetherington & Weiler, 2009; John T. Jost et al, 2003). Further, authoritarianism appears higher in older cohorts, with theories suggesting that older people grew up in times when authoritarian attitudes were more common (Ruffman et al, 2016). As such, we PERSONALITY AND COGNITION IN THE EU REFERENDUM 11 additionally expect to see higher scores for RWA and thus more support for a Leave vote among older generations.…”

Ideological and threat-based predictors of cyber violence against women and girls

“…Thus, it is possible that people higher in RWAwho are sensitive to threats to traditional and stable social structurescould experience greater symbolic threat from outgroups. There is considerable evidence for this notion, as greater symbolic threat relates to greater RWA (Mirisola & Russo, 2014;Ruffman et al, 2016) and mediates the relation between RWA and prejudice towards international students, gay men and lesbians when referred to as "homosexuals", and dimensions of islamophobia (Charles-Toussaint & Crowson, 2010;Rios, 2013;Uenal, 2016). With respect to the present thesis, perceived female gamer norms, and beliefs and values that conflict with and threaten those of the male gamer status quo, could reflect a symbolic threat.…”

“…Power and control over the traditional, male gamer identity that is at risk of becoming gender neutral (or female) could represent the resource that groups are in conflict over, prompting a realistic threat. Realistic threat accounts for a significant amount of the variance in RWA (Ruffman et al, 2016) and fully mediates the relation between RWA and prejudice towards international students in the United States (Charles-Toussaint & Crowson, 2010). It is possible that the notion of outgroups succeeding where ingroups do not can threaten social cohesion of the ingroup and subsequently engender negative outgroup attitudes.…”