Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026
09:27
Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
Published on: October 13, 2018
10.7K
Extremists on the Left and Right Use Angry, Negative Language.
Jeremy A Frimer1, Mark J Brandt2, Zachary Melton3
11 University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|December 13, 2018
Summary
Political extremists, both liberal and conservative, use more negative and angry language than moderates. Liberal extremists exhibit the most negative language, driven by perceived threats from political rivals.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Computational Linguistics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Previous research on political orientation and affective language yielded mixed results, with some studies using questionable measures.
- The nonlinear relationship between political orientation and affective language has not been thoroughly investigated.
- Existing studies suggest liberals display more happiness in language than conservatives, despite conservatives reporting higher happiness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between political extremism and the negativity of language used.
- To examine nonlinear associations between political orientation and affective language across diverse contexts.
- To test the hypothesis that political extremists use more negative language than moderates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of language used in five contexts: Twitter, U.S. Congress, political organizations, news media, and crowdsourced American data.
- Quantitative linguistic analysis focusing on emotional tone, negativity, and anger in political discourse.
- Comparison of language use between moderates and extremists across the political spectrum.
Main Results:
- Both liberal and conservative extremists employed significantly more negative and angry language compared to moderates.
- Contrary to some prior research, liberal extremists' language was found to be more negative than that of conservative extremists.
- Language negativity and anger in extremists correlate with feelings of threat from political opponents.
Conclusions:
- Political extremism is associated with heightened negative and angry language, irrespective of ideology.
- Liberal extremists demonstrate the most negative linguistic style, potentially as a response to perceived threats.
- Negative language from extremists may serve as a communication strategy to signal perceived threats from political rivals.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Language
910
Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
910
01:24Components of Language
820
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.
820
01:22Language Development
912
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
912
01:27Language and Cognition
799
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
799
01:23Negative Regulator Molecules
38.5K
Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
38.5K
00:58Positive, Negative, and Zero Work
22.2K
Work is done on an object when energy is transferred to the object. In other words, work is done when a force acts on a body that undergoes a displacement from one position to another. By definition, the work done by a force is the integral of the force with respect to the displacement along its path. Forces can vary as a function of position, and displacements can occur along various paths between two points. The magnitude of a force multiplied by the cosine of the angle that the force makes...
22.2K