In its most simple form, the research question that we want to answer is: Do individuals with dif... more In its most simple form, the research question that we want to answer is: Do individuals with different political values differ in their general social-cognitive strategies? Based on prior work by Dr. Mansell, we will examine whether such political differences are confined to the political domain or whether they reflect (potentially, emerge from) broader social strategies relating to (a) seeking to harvest cooperative surpluses (predicted to be more frequent among liberals) and (b) avoiding cheaters (predicted to be more frequent among conservatives).
In the following thesis I examine the possible evolutionary significance of behavioural differenc... more In the following thesis I examine the possible evolutionary significance of behavioural differences associated with liberal and conservative ideological orientations. In investigating the evolutionary significance of these two orientations I have two primary research questions. First, how do liberal and conservative oriented individuals differ in their responses to the same socio-environmental stimuli? Second, do differences in their responses to socio-environmental stimuli represent alternative behavioural strategies for social interaction, specifically adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interactions? To answer these research questions I evaluate how trust and cooperation among liberal and conservative oriented individuals are affected by conditions of social change and inequality. Previous research finds that attitudes and behaviours consistent with the tolerance or intolerance of social change and inequality are strong predictors of ideological orientation across a liberal-conservative scale. Based on a synthesis of behavioural research I construct two theoretical frameworks to account for the adaptive utility associated with a sensitivity to social change and inequality; 1) The Group Reciprocity Hypothesis, and 2) The Social Risk Hypothesis. I test these frameworks using an experimental research design. I predict that, if liberal and conservative orientations are reflective of alternative adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interaction, then the willingness of liberal and conservative individuals to participate in a social interaction should be differentially affected by conditions related to social change and inequality.
Political scientists recognize discriminatory attitudes as key to understanding a range of politi... more Political scientists recognize discriminatory attitudes as key to understanding a range of political preferences. Sexism is associated with both explicitly and non-explicitly gendered attitudes. But why do certain individuals display discriminatory attitudes, while others do not? Drawing from psychology, we examine the potential power of an underexplored set of personality traits—secure versus fragile self-esteem—in explaining gendered attitudes and preferences. With an online sample of (N = 487) U.S.-based participants, we find that fragile self-esteem is an important trait underlying individuals’ attitudes: individuals who display a discordant view of self—explicitly positive but implicitly negative—are more likely to hold hostile sexist attitudes and prefer men in leadership; these individuals are also more likely to support the Republican Party and former U.S. president Donald Trump. While present in only a fraction of the population, our results suggest that this trait may be i...
We investigate whether learning about one's relatively poor competitive performance compared ... more We investigate whether learning about one's relatively poor competitive performance compared to another gender induces prejudice toward that gendered outgroup. A sample of (n=1620) subjects will complete an experiment involving a competitive task. Participants are randomly assigned to receive negative feedback about their gendered group's poor performance. Following this, we assess their levels of sexism. We hypothesize that: 1) men who receive negative feedback about their performance relative to women will report higher sexism. We also introduce a non-binary measure of masculinity/femininity that helps explain how gender identity affects these outcomes.
In its most simple form, the research question that we want to answer is: Do individuals with dif... more In its most simple form, the research question that we want to answer is: Do individuals with different political values differ in their general social-cognitive strategies? Based on prior work by Dr. Mansell, we will examine whether such political differences are confined to the political domain or whether they reflect (potentially, emerge from) broader social strategies relating to (a) seeking to harvest cooperative surpluses (predicted to be more frequent among liberals) and (b) avoiding cheaters (predicted to be more frequent among conservatives).
In the following thesis I examine the possible evolutionary significance of behavioural differenc... more In the following thesis I examine the possible evolutionary significance of behavioural differences associated with liberal and conservative ideological orientations. In investigating the evolutionary significance of these two orientations I have two primary research questions. First, how do liberal and conservative oriented individuals differ in their responses to the same socio-environmental stimuli? Second, do differences in their responses to socio-environmental stimuli represent alternative behavioural strategies for social interaction, specifically adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interactions? To answer these research questions I evaluate how trust and cooperation among liberal and conservative oriented individuals are affected by conditions of social change and inequality. Previous research finds that attitudes and behaviours consistent with the tolerance or intolerance of social change and inequality are strong predictors of ideological orientation across a liberal-conservative scale. Based on a synthesis of behavioural research I construct two theoretical frameworks to account for the adaptive utility associated with a sensitivity to social change and inequality; 1) The Group Reciprocity Hypothesis, and 2) The Social Risk Hypothesis. I test these frameworks using an experimental research design. I predict that, if liberal and conservative orientations are reflective of alternative adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interaction, then the willingness of liberal and conservative individuals to participate in a social interaction should be differentially affected by conditions related to social change and inequality.
Political scientists recognize discriminatory attitudes as key to understanding a range of politi... more Political scientists recognize discriminatory attitudes as key to understanding a range of political preferences. Sexism is associated with both explicitly and non-explicitly gendered attitudes. But why do certain individuals display discriminatory attitudes, while others do not? Drawing from psychology, we examine the potential power of an underexplored set of personality traits—secure versus fragile self-esteem—in explaining gendered attitudes and preferences. With an online sample of (N = 487) U.S.-based participants, we find that fragile self-esteem is an important trait underlying individuals’ attitudes: individuals who display a discordant view of self—explicitly positive but implicitly negative—are more likely to hold hostile sexist attitudes and prefer men in leadership; these individuals are also more likely to support the Republican Party and former U.S. president Donald Trump. While present in only a fraction of the population, our results suggest that this trait may be i...
We investigate whether learning about one's relatively poor competitive performance compared ... more We investigate whether learning about one's relatively poor competitive performance compared to another gender induces prejudice toward that gendered outgroup. A sample of (n=1620) subjects will complete an experiment involving a competitive task. Participants are randomly assigned to receive negative feedback about their gendered group's poor performance. Following this, we assess their levels of sexism. We hypothesize that: 1) men who receive negative feedback about their performance relative to women will report higher sexism. We also introduce a non-binary measure of masculinity/femininity that helps explain how gender identity affects these outcomes.
Uploads
Papers by Jordan Mansell