The psychophysiology of political ideology: replications, reanalyses, and recommendations

Osmundsen, Mathias, Hendry, David J., Laustsen, Lasse, Smith, Kevin B. and Petersen, Michael Bang (2022) The psychophysiology of political ideology: replications, reanalyses, and recommendations. Journal of Politics, 84 (1). pp. 50-66. ISSN 0022-3816

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Abstract

This article presents a large-scale, empirical evaluation of the psychophysiological correlates of political ideology and, in particular, the claim that conservatives react with higher levels of electrodermal activity to threatening stimuli than liberals. We (1) conduct two large replications of this claim, using locally representative samples of Danes and Americans; (2) reanalyze all published studies and evaluate their reliability and validity; and (3) test several features to enhance the validity of psychophysiological measures and offer a number of recommendations. Overall, we find little empirical support for the claim. This is caused by significant reliability and validity problems related to measuring threat sensitivity using electrodermal activity. When assessed reliably, electrodermal activity in the replications and published studies captures individual differences in the physiological changes associated with attention shifts, which are unrelated to ideology. In contrast to psychophysiological reactions, self-reported emotional reactions to threatening stimuli are reliably associated with ideology.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journal/jop
Additional Information:	© 2021 Southern Political Science Association
Divisions:	Methodology
Subjects:	J Political Science > JC Political theory R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2022 17:03
Last Modified:	17 Apr 2024 19:21
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/113729

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