Social Cognition & Group Identity

Summary: This article challenges the assumption that young children lack the capacity for political thought, arguing that early social cognition and proto-political attitudes lay the foundation for adult political ideologies such as authoritarianism, social dominance, and hawkish ideology. It demonstrates how studying early childhood is critical for a complete understanding of political psychology.

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.

Summary: This paper introduces the concept of 'imagined otherness'—the perception that outgroup members construe social reality in fundamentally different ways—and demonstrates that such attributions fuel blatant dehumanization beyond general perceived difference and group identification, using correlational and experimental evidence from U.S. political partisans.

Summary: This study demonstrates that the need for closure indirectly strengthens identity fusion with religious groups by fostering adherence to religious ideology, highlighting how epistemic needs for certainty shape group identification and potential conflict.

Summary: This paper proposes a formal model linking social media technology to affective polarization through social identity mechanisms, finding that lower interaction costs can trigger a transition to entrenched, homogeneous group identities that are difficult to reverse.

Summary: Drawing on social identity and intergroup threat theories, this study analyzes survey data from Sweden to show that perceived intergroup threat among voters is associated with increased affective polarization, measured through social distance, negative trait attribution, and party like-dislike ratings. The findings extend understanding of political polarization beyond the US two-party context to multi-party systems.

Summary: This study examines affective polarization in online political discussions on Reddit, finding that interactions between ideological opponents are significantly more negative and often cut short, while positive cross-group sentiment can reduce hostility. It offers insights into the dynamics of intergroup bias in digital political communication.

Summary: This study systematically reviews research on affective polarization, revealing that the concept is increasingly applied beyond political parties to encompass divides based on opinion, ideology, race, territory, and religion. It argues for a dynamic understanding of identity salience in the public sphere and examines how intergroup hostility connects to broader democratic concerns.

Summary: This research examines how partisan identity influences belief in and willingness to share political news, finding that both Democrats and Republicans are more likely to believe news that portrays their own group positively or the opposing group negatively, shedding light on the cognitive biases underlying political misinformation.

Summary: This study examines how perceived intergroup threats, when met with anger, increase affective polarization by distancing individuals from opposing party supporters, highlighting the role of specific emotional reactions in political division.

Summary: This study argues that affectively polarized partisans strategically report emotions to distinguish their ingroup from outgroups, ascribing desirable emotions to their own side and undesirable ones to opponents, thereby reinforcing polarization. It highlights how emotional language shapes political cognition and group identity.