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The preference for attitude neutrality.

Thomas I Vaughan-Johnston1, Devin I Fowlie2, Laura E Wallace3

  • 1School of Psychology, Cardiff University.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Some individuals prefer attitudinal neutrality over extreme views, pursuing it uncritically. This preference impacts political centrism and message interpretation, potentially hindering shared understanding.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Attitude Formation
  • Cognitive Biases

Background:

  • Previous research highlights a tendency for individuals to hold extreme views.
  • This has led to the assumption that biases primarily favor extremity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the existence and characteristics of a preference for attitudinal neutrality.
  • To differentiate this preference from low extremity preference and balanced information seeking.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized two pretesting samples, three main studies, and two supplementary studies.
  • Total sample size (Ntotal) = 1,873 participants.
  • Examined relationships with dispositional neutrality, ambivalence, political centrism, and response to framed messages.

Main Results:

  • Confirmed the preference for attitudinal neutrality in a substantial sample.
  • Demonstrated that this preference can lead to an uncritical and biased pursuit of neutrality.
  • Found associations with political centrism and biased processing of "moderate" versus extreme messages.

Conclusions:

  • The preference for neutrality is a distinct psychological tendency with implications for attitude extremity research.
  • This preference can manifest as biased information processing, similar to extremity seekers.
  • It poses challenges for societal polarization, persuasion, and achieving a shared understanding of critical social issues.