Political Psychology: Key Concepts Review

21 question-and-answer flashcards covering the intellectual foundations of political psychology, ideology, information processing, motivated reasoning, misinformation, and the role of emotions in political behavior.

What core assumption does Rational Choice theory make about individual political decision-makers?

They possess consistent preferences, assign utilities to outcomes, estimate probabilities, and choose the option that maximizes expected utility.

What is the "Paradox of Voting" identified by Downs (1957)?

Rationally, the personal cost of voting almost always exceeds the tiny probability of affecting the outcome, so no one should vote—yet people do.

Which two kinds of systematic cognitive errors documented by Kahneman & Tversky undermine the Rational Choice model?

People rely on heuristics and exhibit predictable biases, leading to departures from strict rationality.

What three research strands make up the field of Biopolitics?

Evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, and neuroscience / psychophysiology.

Which two Big Five personality traits show the strongest, most consistent links to political ideology?

Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness.

How is high Openness to Experience generally related to political ideology?

Individuals high in openness tend to endorse more liberal or left-leaning attitudes.

What is Authoritarianism, and how does perceived threat affect its political impact?

A tendency toward obedience to authority, conventional norms, and hostility toward out-groups; under threat it predicts support for conservative, punitive policies.

In dual-process models, how do System I and System II differ?

System I is fast, automatic, emotional, and heuristic-based, whereas System II is slow, deliberate, effortful, and analytical.

What effect does anxiety have on citizens' information processing according to research on emotions?

Anxiety halts habitual responses and motivates more careful information search, activating System II.

According to Social Identity Theory, why do individuals favor their own groups over others?

Because self-esteem is partly derived from group membership, prompting a motive to view the ingroup positively relative to outgroups.

Jost (2006) argues that the left–right spectrum rests mainly on what two oppositions?

Support for change vs. resistance to change, and support for equality vs. legitimation of hierarchy.

Which moral foundations are typically emphasized by conservatives?

The binding foundations: ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity.

Roughly what proportion of variance in political attitudes is attributed to genetic factors in twin studies?

About 40–50 percent.

How does Kunda (1990) define motivated reasoning?

The biased use of cognitive processes—access, evaluation, and construction of information—to reach a desired conclusion while appearing rational.

What is confirmation bias in the realm of political information processing?

The tendency to seek out and readily accept evidence that supports one's existing beliefs.

Why can attempts to correct misinformation backfire?

Because corrections can threaten core identities, leading individuals to cling even more strongly to the original false belief (backfire effect).

Within Affective Intelligence Theory, which emotion activates the Surveillance System and what behavior does it encourage?

Anxiety (fear) activates the system, prompting vigilance and increased information seeking.

What are two key political effects of anger?

It encourages risk-taking and punitive actions while narrowing information search toward confirmatory evidence.

Which emotions are most effective at mobilizing political participation such as voting, protesting, or donating?

Enthusiasm and anger.

What is the difference between ideological polarization and ideological sorting?

Polarization is the widening distance between left and right viewpoints; sorting is the growing match between party identity and ideological identity.

In highly polarized settings, what is a “mega-identity”?

A party identity that bundles multiple social identities (religion, race, region, etc.) into one overarching, emotionally charged group affiliation.