COHFA | Psychology Panel

Academic Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

Psychology

Minor

Spanish

List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)

Dr. Sean Rife, PhD.

Presentation Format

Oral Presentation

Abstract/Description

The purpose of this research is to test the interaction of in-group/out-group bias and political parties. This research is especially necessary and timely due to the unstable and somewhat unorthodox political climate surrounding our country this year. Research by Olivola, Sussman, Tsetsos, Kang, and Todorov (2012) shows that voters identifying as Republicans showed a greater preference for candidates who fit the physical stereotype of a Republican (an older white male) even if that candidate was not a Republican. My research asks if in-group biases apply to perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness. I hypothesized that participants will be more likely to say that faces that are highly rated in attractiveness and/or trustworthiness are more likely to belong to people in their own political party. Participants were asked to complete an online survey where faces ranging from high to low in attractiveness and trustworthiness were presented. The participants were then asked to which political party they believed the person in the picture belonged. Using general estimating equations, we found that faces which were identified as being a member of the same political party as the participant were rated as significantly more attractive, b = 4.01, p = .002 and significantly more trustworthy, b = 6.20, p < .001 than faces identified as being of a different party. This research provides valuable insight into the perceptions people have surrounding the different political parties and will also show us why and/or under what circumstances people make judgments based on political stereotypes.

Affiliations

Psychology: Completed Projects

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I'm with US, But Not with THEM: A Study of In-Group Bias and Political Party

The purpose of this research is to test the interaction of in-group/out-group bias and political parties. This research is especially necessary and timely due to the unstable and somewhat unorthodox political climate surrounding our country this year. Research by Olivola, Sussman, Tsetsos, Kang, and Todorov (2012) shows that voters identifying as Republicans showed a greater preference for candidates who fit the physical stereotype of a Republican (an older white male) even if that candidate was not a Republican. My research asks if in-group biases apply to perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness. I hypothesized that participants will be more likely to say that faces that are highly rated in attractiveness and/or trustworthiness are more likely to belong to people in their own political party. Participants were asked to complete an online survey where faces ranging from high to low in attractiveness and trustworthiness were presented. The participants were then asked to which political party they believed the person in the picture belonged. Using general estimating equations, we found that faces which were identified as being a member of the same political party as the participant were rated as significantly more attractive, b = 4.01, p = .002 and significantly more trustworthy, b = 6.20, p < .001 than faces identified as being of a different party. This research provides valuable insight into the perceptions people have surrounding the different political parties and will also show us why and/or under what circumstances people make judgments based on political stereotypes.