Is that disgust I see? Political ideology and biased visual attention.

Is that disgust I see? Political ideology and biased visual attention.
Behav Brain Res. 2017 Sep 04;:
Authors: Oosterhoff B, Shook NJ, Ford C
Abstract
Considerable evidence suggests that political liberals and conservatives vary in the way they process and respond to valenced (i.e., negative versus positive) information, with conservatives generally displaying greater negativity biases than liberals. Less is known about whether liberals and conservatives differentially prioritize certain forms of negative information over others. Across two studies using eye-tracking methodology, we examined differences in visual attention to negative scenes and facial expressions based on self-reported political ideology. In Study 1, scenes rated high in fear, disgust, sadness, and neutrality were presented simultaneously. Greater endorsement of socially conservative political attitudes was associated with less attentional engagement (i.e., lower dwell time) of disgust scenes and more attentional engagement toward neutral scenes. Socially conservative political attitudes were not significantly associated with visual attention to fear or sad scenes. In Study 2, images depicting facial expressions of fear, disgust, sadness, and neutrality were presented simultaneously. Greater endorsement of socially conservative political attitudes was associated with greater attentional engagement with facial expressions depicting disgust and less attentional engage...

Source: Behavioural Brain Research - September 4, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Oosterhoff B, Shook NJ, Ford C Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research