Diverging Effects of Deliberation: How Perceived Thoughtfulness About Political Issues Affects Character Judgments

Across three studies (N = 896), we examined the effects of perceived deliberation and political (dis)agreement on moral character judgments. We tested whether targets who agree or disagree with the participant on a political issue are evaluated more positively when they are described as deliberating (vs. not deliberating). Results showed that in cases of agreement, there was no effect of deliberation on moral character judgments. This was because deliberators were seen as less certain (which was associated with more negative evaluations) but also more thoughtful (which was associated with more positive evaluations). However, in cases of disagreement, deliberation led to more positive moral character judgments. This was because deliberators were again seen as less certain and more thoughtful, but both perceptions were associated with more positive evaluations. These findings suggest that perceived deliberation makes disagreement more palatable and that people are less concerned with how like-minded people reach their conclusions.