Cultural Cognition & Collective Belief

Summary: This paper develops a probabilistic theory of belief formation in social networks, using belief-adoption probabilities and fixed-point dynamics to model rapid local consensus and slower global diffusion, and deriving quantitative results on propaganda limits and the temporal structure of social conformity.

Summary: This paper argues that a weak mechanism—the preference for belief—can produce issue polarization and echo chambers even without social or cognitive exclusion, challenging common explanations and suggesting that polarization may be more intractable than assumed.

Summary: This paper argues that group polarization—the tendency for discussion to intensify shared views—provides the psychological foundation for political polarization, showing how social interaction builds collective identities that mobilize groups to action.

Summary: This study tests the Cultural Cognition Thesis across 23 countries, finding that cultural cognition is a weak predictor of climate change beliefs, policy preferences, and actions, and that polarization is not greatest among the highly educated, challenging the view that identity-driven cognition is central to climate change thought.