Those with extremist viewpoints are poorer at handling complex information
People who hold extremist political views are less capable of completing complex tasks, according to a new study conducted by the University of Cambridge.
Cambridge scientists aimed to explore whether the way you process information informs your political and ideological views.
For this, researchers took 330 people aged 22 to 63 and put them through a number of tests. In total, the trial involved 37 neuropsychological tests and 22 personality surveys.
The tests were designed to examine whether cognitive biases predict political and ideological positions.
The tests involved having to memorise visual shapes – data from this was then extrapolated and used to gauge an individual’s ability to handle complex tasks.
Scientists discovered that those who struggled with complex tasks, showing obvious cognitive biases, had more extreme political and ideological views.
Lead study author Dr Leor Zmigrod said:
“Individuals or brains that struggle to process and plan complex action sequences may be more drawn to extreme ideologies, or authoritarian ideologies that simplify the world.”
Put simply, those who tended to adopt a simple ‘black and white’ outlook had the most extreme ideological viewpoints.
The more extreme participants also tended to show less emotional intelligence, said Zmigrod, adding “and so that kind of helps us understand what kind of individual might be willing to go in and commit violence against innocent others”.
People with the most extreme views seemed hostile to processing complex information, the study found.
Zmigrod said: “For example, when they’re asked to determine whether dots are moving to the left or to the right, they just took longer to process that information and come to a decision.”
The scientists behind the study say their discovery could be used to pinpoint those at risk of radicalisation.
