If you listen to popular talk radio gasbags (Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck) you'll discover that they don't know much and aren't very bright but that seems perfect for the conservative message machine because it's under low-processing situations that conservative ideology flourishes. It also probably helps that many people listen to garbage radio while driving.
Low-Effort Thought Promotes Political Conservatism
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Scott Eidelman eidelman@uark.edu
Christian S. Crandall
Jeffrey A. Goodman
John C. Blanchar
Abstract
The authors test the hypothesis that low-effort thought promotes political conservatism. In Study 1, alcohol intoxication was measured among bar patrons; as blood alcohol level increased, so did political conservatism (controlling for sex, education, and political identification). In Study 2, participants under cognitive load reported more conservative attitudes than their no-load counterparts. In Study 3, time pressure increased participants’ endorsement of conservative terms. In Study 4, participants considering political terms in a cursory manner endorsed conservative terms more than those asked to cogitate; an indicator of effortful thought (recognition memory) partially mediated the relationship between processing effort and conservatism. Together these data suggest that political conservatism may be a process consequence of low-effort thought; when effortful, deliberate thought is disengaged, endorsement of conservative ideology increases.
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