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Underestimating Counterparts' Learning Goals Impairs Conflictual Conversations
Hanne K Collins1, Charles A Dorison2, Francesca Gino3
1Organizational Behavior Unit, Harvard Business School, Harvard University.
Psychological Science
|September 7, 2022
Summary
People often underestimate how willing those with opposing views are to learn. Believing otherwise can improve conflict conversations and reduce hostility, even in polarized political contexts.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Conflict Resolution
- Intergroup Relations
Background:
- Difficulty engaging with opposing views is common in political and workplace conflicts.
- Prior research focused on individual mindset changes (e.g., open-mindedness).
- This study examines the impact of beliefs about counterparts' willingness to learn.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how beliefs about disagreeing counterparts' willingness to learn influence conflict dynamics.
- To test an intervention aimed at correcting underestimations of counterpart willingness to learn.
- To explore the role of situational factors in conflict resolution.
Main Methods:
- Seven preregistered studies with 2,614 adult participants.
- Assessed participants' underestimation of disagreeing counterparts' willingness to learn.
- Implemented an informational intervention in American partisan politics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Main Results:
- Participants consistently underestimated their disagreeing counterparts' willingness to learn.
- Underestimation correlated with increased derogation of opponents and negative conversational expectations.
- The intervention reduced derogation and increased future engagement willingness.
Conclusions:
- Beliefs about counterparts' willingness to learn significantly impact conflict perception and behavior.
- Correcting these underestimations offers a promising avenue for improving conflictual conversations.
- Focusing on situational beliefs, rather than solely individual mindsets, can enhance conflict resolution strategies.
Keywords:
affective polarizationattitude conflictconversationsgoalsopen dataopen materialspreregisteredself–other differenceMore Related Videos
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