DOCSLIB.ORG

151220-MASTER-REILLY.Pdf (7.099Mb)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

“The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically Assessing Sources and Information in a Conspiratorial World A quantitative study of conspiracy mentality and conspiracy theory endorsement in relation to news media skepticism and -literacy, source preference, critical thinking dispositions and -skills. Ronan Eric Reilly Master’s Thesis in Journalism UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Institute of Media and Communication 15. December 2020 Ronan Eric Reilly II “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically assessing sources and information in a conspiratorial world “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically Assessing Sources and Information in a Conspiratorial World A quantitative study of conspiracy mentality and conspiracy theory endorsement in relation to news media skepticism and -literacy, source preference, critical thinking dispositions and -skills. “History is much more the product of chaos “… if you assume a big than of conspiracy.” enough conspiracy, ― Zbigniew Brzezinski you can explain anything, including the cosmos itself.” ― Fritz Leiber, The Big Time “Feedback loops, echo chambers, circular reinforcement. All could play a part in escalating the utterly imaginary to the level of reality, sometimes with fatal consequences.” ― Jasper Fforde, Early Riser “It's all one big conspiracy. Just there's nobody pulling all the strings.” “It’s who’s controlling ― James Oswald the Illuminati that I’m more concerned about.” ― Angela Mullins, Working for Uncle Henry III Ronan Eric Reilly © Ronan Eric Reilly 2020 “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically Assessing Sources and Information in a Conspiratorial World Ronan Eric Reilly http://www.duo.uio.no/ Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo IV “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically assessing sources and information in a conspiratorial world V Ronan Eric Reilly Summary Conspiracy theories thrive in today’s overly saturated media landscape, where media consumers constantly are bombarded with an abundance of information from both mainstream and alternative outlets. Facing this scenario, audiences have little other choice than to somehow decide who and what to believe, and to invoke some level of effort and skill in interpreting information. This thesis seeks to explore both ‘conspiracy mentality’ (an underlying disposition toward viewing events as the product of conspiracies) and the actual endorsement of certain specific conspiracy theories in relation to several variables relevant to media consumption. Two main areas of focus are explored: a) News media trust, source preference, and literacy; and b) Critical thinking dispositions and skills. By identifying, presenting, and drawing on relevant literature, as well as evaluating former endeavors regarding measurement of specific variables, the primary aim is to quantitatively explore these relationships through answering eight research questions. A quantitative, fixed-response cross-sectional questionnaire containing primarily a combination of previously validated-, existing but altered-, as well as self-developed multi-item Likert measuring scales forms the basis of findings. Data is collected from a demographically diverse non-probability convenience sample selection of Norwegians (N=125) of all ages, socio-cultural backgrounds, and with varying political views – as well as media preferences and habits. Initial observations reveal a moderately high level of general conspiracy mentality within the sample – as well as a prevailing presence of respondents who endorse various conspiracy theories. A series of bivariate correlation analyses and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA’s) are run based on the gathered data in order to answer all research questions. Findings suggest that high skepticism towards mainstream media, as well as a positive attitude towards – and frequent consumption of – ‘alternative’ news media are all significantly related to both conspiracy mentality and conspiracy theory endorsement. Findings further suggest that susceptibility to informal fallacious arguments, in addition to an inability to identify nonsensical, but seemingly meaningful ideas (‘pseudo-profound bullshit’), are also correlated with conspiracy theory endorsement and -mentality. Partial, albeit weak, relationships to some aspects of news media literacy – such as understanding how filtering of information in the media can affect perceptions of reality – are also discovered in relation to conspiracy theory endorsement. Surprisingly, no significant findings are uncovered in relation to critical thinking disposition or source criticism abilities; although it is hypothesized that methodological flaws may be at fault for some of these results. Some possible implications of findings for journalists and media workers are discussed where applicable throughout, and upon conclusion. VI “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically assessing sources and information in a conspiratorial world Foreword Returning to university to finally achieve a master’s degree having passed my mid-thirties ended up being a mixed-emotion endeavor. In many ways it has been challenging – as work, life, children, and family obligations etc. inevitably have consumed most available time. On the other hand, it has been highly liberating and rewarding – not only to sporadically re-walk in the social footsteps of a mid-twenties version of myself, but also to be able to approach academic work with an extended amount of life experience and perspective that was unavailable to me ten-fifteen years ago. During my time here at UiO I have made many new acquaintances – several from various cultures and countries across the world. A big thanks to all of you for enriching my ‘second run’ here. The list of names is long, but you all hopefully know who you are! To all the 125 people who have participated in the survey – I realize it was very comprehensive, and your valuable time is much appreciated. I cherish all the feedback I have received – especially the positive remarks from everyone who found the questions interesting. For very different reasons I was also intrigued by the (luckily very few) posts in response to my survey request which referred to me as e.g. “a brainwashed and corrupt mass media liar”; and the ‘likes’ these posts generated. Whether you enjoy a good conspiracy theory or not, you have all played an important part in the story of completing this thesis. A large thank you naturally also goes out to my supervisor at IMK, Dr. Kjetil Rødje (S18/F18/S19/F19/S20/F20). Your advice and insight – as well as your patience with regard to continuous delays and shifting aims – has been pivotal to the eventual completion of this thesis. Thank you to my lovely children, Stella Edine and Edwin Olaver. Although you have absolutely no conceptual idea what a master’s thesis is yet, or why daddy has been so busy; you both keep me alert and on my feet, while putting immensely into perspective what is most important in life. Thanks to their mother – my dear girlfriend, Stine – for all your endless support; and for both pulling most of the weight at home and having to spend most nights alone during these final weeks, while additionally having to put up with my many annoyances. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to my father, Brendan Reilly, who’s generally inquisitive mind and unorthodox approaches to conventional norms has been an inspiration. Although I do not always agree with VII Ronan Eric Reilly your alternative views or means of analysis, I have always considered our discussions to be positively challenging and very interesting. Last, but not least, a very special thank you is reserved for my beloved mother, Edith Reilly, who tragically passed away in 2007; the same year as research into conspiracy theories began emerging in a serious way. Your memory will forever be cherished, and your many extensively detailed opinions about the world – many of which tended to carry a largely conspiratorial central theme – have acted as motivation in choosing my topic of interest. May you for all eternity rest in peace. And to all of you who have not been mentioned, but who feel you should have been mentioned… Consider yourself mentioned! All in all, completion of this thesis has been an immensely long-winded process (not helped in any way at all by the global COVID-19 pandemic that went on for the final months of it, or the concussion I contracted which postponed completion by an additional semester). Although I am more than happy to disembark after a long journey, I am also truly grateful for the fact that my circumstances granted me the possibility to endure this voyage; both when enjoying the calm academic waters and when navigating the high methodological seas. Drammen, Norway December 15, 2020 VIII “The truth is in doubt here!”: Critically assessing sources and information in a conspiratorial world Table of Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Purpose of thesis .................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Focus areas and research questions ....................................................................................... 5 1.3 Structure and organization..................................................................................................... 8 2 Literary review ................................................................................................................. 10 2.1 Conspiracy theories ............................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Group Support and Cognitive Dissonance 1 I'ma

    Group Support and Cognitive Dissonance 1 I'ma

    Group support and cognitive dissonance 1 I‘m a Hypocrite, but so is Everyone Else: Group Support and the Reduction of Cognitive Dissonance Blake M. McKimmie, Deborah J. Terry, Michael A. Hogg School of Psychology, University of Queensland Antony S.R. Manstead, Russell Spears, and Bertjan Doosje Department of Social Psychology, University of Amsterdam Running head: Group support and cognitive dissonance. Key words: cognitive dissonance, social identity, social support Contact: Blake McKimmie School of Psychology The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia Phone: +61 7 3365-6406 Fax: +61 7 3365-4466 Group support and cognitive dissonance 2 [email protected] Abstract The impact of social support on dissonance arousal was investigated to determine whether subsequent attitude change is motivated by dissonance reduction needs. In addition, a social identity view of dissonance theory is proposed, augmenting current conceptualizations of dissonance theory by predicting when normative information will impact on dissonance arousal, and by indicating the availability of identity-related strategies of dissonance reduction. An experiment was conducted to induce feelings of hypocrisy under conditions of behavioral support or nonsupport. Group salience was either high or low, or individual identity was emphasized. As predicted, participants with no support from the salient ingroup exhibited the greatest need to reduce dissonance through attitude change and reduced levels of group identification. Results were interpreted in terms of self
  • Institutional Abuse: a Psychiatrist's Perspective

    Institutional Abuse: a Psychiatrist's Perspective

    Institutional Abuse: Untying the Gordian Knot Dr Julian Parmegiani MB BS FRANZCP September 2018 Out of Home Care – Current Statistics Heritability of Psychiatric Disorders The effects of trauma during childhood and adolescence Talk Snowballing Effects of Trauma Outline Protective Factors and Resilience False Memories Impact of legal proceedings Children subjected to investigation = 115,024 Substantiated = 45,714 Child Protection Children on care & Services – protection orders = 61,723 Children in out-of-home care = 2016 55,614 *AIHW Child Protection Report 2015-2016 Child Protection Services – Statistics Type of Abuse Primary + other abuse Emotional Abuse 43% 32.5% Neglect 27% 28.2% Physical Abuse 18% 15% Sexual Abuse 12% 1.7% *AIHW Child Protection Report 2015-2016 Out-of-home care • 46% under 5yrs old Child • 94% in home-based care – 49% in relative/kinship care Protection – 39% in foster care – 5% in third party parental care Services – – 1% other Statistics • 6% in institutions *AIHW Child Protection Report 2015-2016 No information about the parents – possible reasons: Child • Alcohol abuse Protection • Drug abuse • Mental illness Services – • Severe personality disorder Statistics • In custody • Cognitive impairment • Genetic vulnerability – Mental illness might have manifested itself anyway • Pre-existing behavioural problems – Parents couldn’t cope with uncontrollable child • Psychological trauma might have already caused irreparable damage before being Evaluation taken into institution • Targeting: Bullies and predators victimizing of Adult vulnerable targets – Odd – Socially inadequate Survivors – Shy – Anxious – Depressed • All of the above combined MJA • Volume 185 Number 9 • 6 November 2006 MJA • Volume 185 Number 9 • 6 November 2006 MJA • Volume 185 Number 9 • 6 November 2006 Alcohol Use Disorder - 50% heritable The heritability of alcohol use disorders: a Heritability meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies B.
  • Australia Muslim Advocacy Network

    Australia Muslim Advocacy Network

    1. The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) welcomes the opportunity to input to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief as he prepares this report on the Impact of Islamophobia/anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination on the right to freedom of thought, conscience religion or belief. 2. We also welcome the opportunity to participate in your Asia-Pacific Consultation and hear from the experiences of a variety of other Muslims organisations. 3. AMAN is a national body that works through law, policy, research and media, to secure the physical and psychological welfare of Australian Muslims. 4. Our objective to create conditions for the safe exercise of our faith and preservation of faith- based identity, both of which are under persistent pressure from vilification, discrimination and disinformation. 5. We are engaged in policy development across hate crime & vilification laws, online safety, disinformation and democracy. Through using a combination of media, law, research, and direct engagement with decision making parties such as government and digital platforms, we are in a constant process of generating and testing constructive proposals. We also test existing civil and criminal laws to push back against the mainstreaming of hate, and examine whether those laws are fit for purpose. Most recently, we are finalising significant research into how anti-Muslim dehumanising discourse operates on Facebook and Twitter, and the assessment framework that could be used to competently and consistently assess hate actors. A. Definitions What is your working definition of anti-Muslim hatred and/or Islamophobia? What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of such definitions? 6.
  • Polarized Ukraine 2014: Opinion and Territorial Split Demonstrated With

    Polarized Ukraine 2014: Opinion and Territorial Split Demonstrated With

    Polarized Ukraine 2014: Opinion and Territorial Split Demonstrated with the Bounded Confidence XY Model, Parameterized by Twitter Data Maksym Romenskyy Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK and Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Box 480, Uppsala 75106, Sweden Viktoria Spaiser School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Thomas Ihle Institute of Physics, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 6, Greifswald 17489, Germany Vladimir Lobaskin School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland (Dated: July 26, 2018) Multiple countries have recently experienced extreme political polarization, which in some cases led to escalation of hate crime, violence and political instability. Beside the much discussed presi- dential elections in the United States and France, Britain’s Brexit vote and Turkish constitutional referendum, showed signs of extreme polarization. Among the countries affected, Ukraine faced some of the gravest consequences. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms of these phe- nomena, we here combine social media analysis with agent-based modeling of opinion dynamics, targeting Ukraine’s crisis of 2014. We use Twitter data to quantify changes in the opinion divide and parameterize an extended Bounded-Confidence XY Model, which provides a spatiotemporal description of the polarization dynamics. We demonstrate that the level of emotional intensity is a major driving force for polarization that can lead to a spontaneous onset of collective behavior at a certain degree of homophily and conformity. We find that the critical level of emotional intensity corresponds to a polarization transition, marked by a sudden increase in the degree of involvement and in the opinion bimodality.
  • Lecture Misinformation

    Lecture Misinformation

    Quote of the Day: “A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on.” -- Baptist preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, 1859 Please fill out the course evaluations: https://uw.iasystem.org/survey/233006 Questions on the final paper Readings for next time Today’s class: misinformation and conspiracy theories Some definitions of fake news: • any piece of information Donald Trump dislikes more seriously: • “a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional news media (print and broadcast) or online social media.” disinformation: “false information which is intended to mislead, especially propaganda issued by a government organization to a rival power or the media” misinformation: “false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive” Some findings of recent research on fake news, disinformation, and misinformation • False news stories are 70% more likely to be retweeted than true news stories. The false ones get people’s attention (by design). • Some people inadvertently spread fake news by saying it’s false and linking to it. • Much of the fake news from the 2016 election originated in small-time operators in Macedonia trying to make money (get clicks, sell advertising). • However, Russian intelligence agencies were also active (Kate Starbird’s research). The agencies created fake Black Lives Matter activists and Blue Lives Matter activists, among other profiles. A quick guide to spotting fake news, from the Freedom Forum Institute: https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/first-amendment- center/primers/fake-news-primer/ Fact checking sites are also essential for identifying fake news.
  • "Area 51: an Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base," Annie Jacobsen (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011)

    "Area 51: an Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base," Annie Jacobsen (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011)

    Journal of Strategic Security Volume 4 Number 3 Volume 4, No. 3: Fall 2011 Article 8 "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base," Annie Jacobsen (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011) Edward M. Roche Henley-Putnam University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, National Security Law Commons, and the Portfolio and Security Analysis Commons pp. 73-74 Recommended Citation Roche, Edward M.. ""Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base," Annie Jacobsen (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011)." Journal of Strategic Security 4, no. 3 (2011) : 73-74. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.4.3.7 Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol4/iss3/8 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Access Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Strategic Security by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base," Annie Jacobsen (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011) This book review is available in Journal of Strategic Security: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/ vol4/iss3/8 Roche: "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base. By Annie Jacobsen. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-316-13294-7. Photographs.
  • Extraterrestrial Life Craft Instructions

    Extraterrestrial Life Craft Instructions

    What’s Fact and Fiction @ Area 51? Area 51 is a secret United States Air Force military base located at Groom Lake in Southern Nevada and was built in 1955. This facility has been the focus of many conspiracy theories involving extraterrestrial life (alien lifeforms), though the official information confirms the base as being a flight-testing facility. The official name for Area 51 is the Nevada Test and Training Range. The name, Area 51, came from its geo- graphical location on a map. Aerial photo of Area 51 Gate at Area 51 Some people believe that Area 51 is a site where government officials have performed experiments with extrater- restrials and their spacecrafts. Others believe that the moon landing in 1969 was fake and was filmed right here on Earth at Area 51. Over the years the CIA, Air Force, and aerospace company Lockheed Martin, have all used Area 51 as a staging ground for test flights of experimental aircraft. According to documents declassified in 2007, in the 1950s and 1960s Area 51 was used as a site for top-secret Cold War-era program known as Oxcart. The purpose of Oxcart’s program was to develop a spy plane that would be undetectable in the air and could be used for gathering information on the Soviet Union. This spy-place called the Archangel-12, was eventually developed at Area 51. The A -12 could travel speeds of more than 2,000 miles an hour and take clear pictures of objects on the ground from high altitudes. These spy planes developed at Area 51 may resemble people’s idea of what alien spacecrafts could look like, which helps explain why so many people reported UFO sightings in the skies above Nevada over the years.
  • National Security and Statutory Interpretation

    National Security and Statutory Interpretation

    SMU Law Review Volume 53 Issue 1 Article 9 2000 Through a Looking Glass Darkly: National Security and Statutory Interpretation Jonathan Turley Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/smulr Recommended Citation Jonathan Turley, Through a Looking Glass Darkly: National Security and Statutory Interpretation, 53 SMU L. REV. 205 (2000) https://scholar.smu.edu/smulr/vol53/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in SMU Law Review by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. THROUGH A LOOKING GLASS DARKLY: NATIONAL SECURITY AND STATUTORY INTERPRETATION Jonathan Turley* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 206 II. AREA 51: A CASE STUDY OF THE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECT OF THE COMMON LAW ON STATUTORY INTERPRETATION IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY AREA ......................... 210 A. FACTUAL BACKGROUND .............................. 210 B. RELEVANT LEGAL ARGUMENTS AND JUDICIAL R ULINGS .............................................. 214 C. THE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECT OF THE COMMON LAW PRIVILEGE ON THE ANALYSIS IN KASZA AND FRosT ................................................. 219 III. THE INTERPLAY OF STATUTORY INTERPRETATION AND THE COMMON LAW IN THE AREA 51 LITIGATION ............................ 221 A. THEORIES OF STATUTORY INTERPRETATION IN THE COMPANY OF THE COMMON LAW ..................... 222 B. PREEMPTION AND JUDICIAL CHOICE: THE USE OF COMMON LAW AS AN OUTCOME-DETERMINATIVE ELEMENT IN THE FROST CASE ........................ 228 C. THE ADOPTION OF AN ABSOLUTE STATE SECRETS PRIVILEGE IN THE AREA 51 LITIGATION .............. 231 IV. THE LEGISPRUDENCE OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE COMMON LAW ............................. 237 A. THE DIALOGIC EFFECT OF THE COMMON LAW IN THE AREA OF STATUTORY INTERPRETATION ..............
  • On Rumors Also by Cass R

    On Rumors Also by Cass R

    On Rumors Also by Cass R. Sunstein Simpler: The Future of Government Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas Why Nudge? The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism Going to Extremes: How Like Minds Unite and Divide Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard Thaler) Worst-Case Scenarios Republic.com 2.0 Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge The Second Bill of Rights: Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More Than Ever Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts Are Wrong for America Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle Why Societies Need Dissent Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment One Case at a Time Free Markets and Social Justice Legal Reasoning and Political Conflict Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech The Partial Constitution After the Rights Revolution On Rumors How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, and What Can Be Done Cass R. Sunstein With a new afterword by the author Princeton University Press • Princeton and Oxford Copyright © 2014 by Cass R. Sunstein Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW press.princeton.edu All Rights Reserved Originally published in North America by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2009 First Princeton Edition 2014 ISBN (pbk.) 978-0-691-16250-8 LCCN 2013950544 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Adobe Caslon Printed on acid-free paper.
  • Hate Crime Report 031008

    Hate Crime Report 031008

    HATE CRIMES IN THE OSCE REGION -INCIDENTS AND RESPONSES ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2007 Warsaw, October 2008 Foreword In 2007, violent manifestations of intolerance continued to take place across the OSCE region. Such acts, although targeting individuals, affected entire communities and instilled fear among victims and members of their communities. The destabilizing effect of hate crimes and the potential for such crimes and incidents to threaten the security of individuals and societal cohesion – by giving rise to wider-scale conflict and violence – was acknowledged in the decision on tolerance and non-discrimination adopted by the OSCE Ministerial Council in Madrid in November 2007.1 The development of this report is based on the task the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) received “to serve as a collection point for information and statistics on hate crimes and relevant legislation provided by participating States and to make this information publicly available through … its report on Challenges and Responses to Hate-Motivated Incidents in the OSCE Region”.2 A comprehensive consultation process with governments and civil society takes place during the drafting of the report. In February 2008, ODIHR issued a first call to the nominated national points of contact on combating hate crime, to civil society, and to OSCE institutions and field operations to submit information for this report. The requested information included updates on legislative developments, data on hate crimes and incidents, as well as practical initiatives for combating hate crime. I am pleased to note that the national points of contact provided ODIHR with information and updates on a more systematic basis.
  • Varieties of Opinion Change in a Finnish Citizen Deliberation Experiment on Immigration

    Varieties of Opinion Change in a Finnish Citizen Deliberation Experiment on Immigration

    Varieties of Opinion Change in a Finnish Citizen Deliberation Experiment on Immigration Marina Lindell (Åbo Akademi University), André Bächtiger (University of Stuttgart), Kimmo Grönlund (Åbo Akademi University), Kaisa Herne (University of Tampere), Maija Setälä (University of Turku) Abstract In the study of deliberation, a largely underexplored area is why some participants become more extreme, whereas some become more moderate. Opinion polarization is usually considered a suspicious outcome of deliberation, while moderation is seen as a desirable one. This article takes issue with this view. Results from a deliberative experiment on immigration show that polarizers and moderators were not different in their socio-economic, cognitive, or affective profiles. Moreover, both polarization and moderation can entail deliberatively desired pathways: in the experiment, both polarizers and moderators learned during deliberation, levels of empathy were fairly high on both sides, and group pressures barely mattered. Finally, the absence of a participant with an immigrant background in a group was associated with polarization in anti-immigrant direction, bolstering longstanding claims regarding the importance of presence in interaction (Philips 1995). Paper presented at the “13ème Congrès National Association Française de Science Politique (AFSP), Aix-en-Provence, June 22–24, 2015 1 Introduction Empirical studies of citizen deliberation suggest that participants often change opinions (and also quite radically; see, e.g., Fishkin, 2009). Luskin et al. (2002) claim that knowledge gain is an important mechanism of opinion change, whereas Sanders (2012) was unable to identify any robust predictor of opinion change in a recent study based on a pan-European deliberative poll (Europolis). A largely understudied area in this regard is why some participants polarize their opinions due to deliberation, and why others moderate them.
  • The Locus of Control

    The Locus of Control

    UVA-OB-0786 THE LOCUS OF CONTROL Please check true or false to the statements below that best fit your own beliefs. Please do so before reading the rest of this note. Locus of Control Instrument1 TRUE FALSE 1. I usually get what I want in life. 2. I need to be kept informed about news events. 3. I never know where I stand with other people. 4. I do not really believe in luck or chance. 5. I think that I could easily win a lottery. 6. If I do not succeed on a task, I tend to give up. 7. I usually convince others to do things my way. 8. People make a difference in controlling crime. 9. The success I have is largely a matter of chance. 10. Marriage is largely a gamble for most people. 11. People must be the master of their own fate. 12. It is not important for me to vote. 13. My life seems like a series of random events. 14. I never try anything that I am not sure of. 15. I earn the respect and honors I receive. 16. A person can get rich by taking risks. 17. Leaders are successful when they work hard. 18. Persistence and hard work usually lead to success. 19. It is difficult to know who my real friends are. 20. Other people usually control my life. 1 A professor in the psychology department at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, Terry Pettijohn developed this variation to Rotter’s original Locus of Control survey. This technical note was written by Gerry Yemen and James G.