The Relationship between Right–wing Attitudes and Cognitive Style: A Comparison of Self–report and Behavioural Measures of Rigidity and Intolerance of Ambiguity

Abstract

Two recent meta-analytic studies addressing the relationship between cognitive style and right-wing attitudes yielded some discrepancies. We argue that these discrepancies can be accounted for when one considers the types of cognitive style measures included in those analyses. One of these analyses primarily relied on self-report measures, whereas the other relied on behavioural measures of cognitive style. Based on a new meta-analysis of 103 samples (total N = 12 714) focussing on behavioural and self-report measures of rigidity and intolerance of ambiguity, we confirmed the hypothesis that self-report scales yield stronger relationships with right-wing attitudes than behavioural measures. We point out potential conceptual and validity issues with both types of cognitive style measures and call for cautiousness when interpreting the magnitude of their relationships with ideology.Note: k = number of studies; CI = confidence interval; Q b = homogeneity statistic between classes; Q w = homogeneity statistic within classes; df = degrees of freedom; I 2 = homogeneity statistic (percentage of heterogeneity). Figure 2. Forest plot for the meta-analysis of the relationship between intolerance of ambiguity and right-wing attitudes, grouped by type of measurement (self-report/behavioural measures), and then by sample size. 528 A. Van Hiel et al.

Cognitive underpinnings of nationalistic ideology in the context of Brexit

“…Significance level was P < 0.05. investigate whether patriotism conceptualized as love of one's country, rather than nationalistic views on separateness and superiority, has different cognitive correlates. Furthermore, these findings are relevant for the literature on the relationship between right-wing conservatism and cognitive style (11,13,23,53), as the results indicate negative relationships between right-wing conservatism and objective cognitive flexibility in the WCST and RAT ( Fig. 3 and Table 1).…”

“…The finding that both behavioral and self-report measures of psychological flexibility made significant unique and independent contributions to ideological thinking and Brexit-related attitudes supports other empirical work on prejudice (e.g., ref. 64) and methodological considerations about how best to measure these constructs (11,23,24). Furthermore, this study was not meant to be an exhaustive investigation of all of the facets of psychological flexibility or cognitive style (for further discussions into the cognitive flexibility construct, see refs.…”

“…To compare the psychology of nationalistic and political ideologies, and to address the methodological debate regarding self-report and behavioral measures of cognition (23), selfreported psychological flexibility was also assessed. This was measured through participants' intolerance for uncertainty and dependence on routines and traditions in their daily lives, which act as proxies for subjective behavioral flexibility in contexts of ambiguity and volatility.…”

“…Since the publication of The Authoritarian Personality in the 1950s (1), psychologists have hypothesized that right-wing and xenophobic attitudes are related to a cognitive style characterized by psychological rigidity (11). However, when cognitive processes have been studied in relation to political ideologies, there has often been disagreement over the definition and measurement of "cognitive style" (23,24). Many studies rely on selfreport questionnaires (e.g., refs.…”

“…25 and 26) rather than objective tests measuring cognitive function. Indeed, a recent study revealed significant differences in the magnitude of the relationship between cognitive style and political ideology according to whether the measure of cognitive style was based on behavior or self-report [with self-report scales yielding stronger relationships with rightwing attitudes (23)]. The present study therefore examines the relationship between the strength of individuals' nationalistic identities, their nationalistic attitudes, and their cognitive performance, using validated tests from cognitive neuropsychology, as well as self-reported psychological traits, to address the following question: Do individual differences in cognitive characteristics predict nationalistic attitudes and identity?…”