From a few thousand miles away it looks like right-wingers are in a wild west fantasy. So, when under attack they need to have greater solidarity and put the (war) waggons into a circle.
This is a particular manifestation of the well-known phenomenon, Confirmation Bias. Conservatives routinely vote against their own best interest, because they ignore the plain fact that simple answers, containing total certainty, can only be had by denying reality. This is why (pardon the caps-lock), THERE IS NO REASONING WITH THESE PEOPLE. Any idea of meeting them half-way is abortive. They don't just want things both ways, they want things every way.
from the Conclusion of the original research: QUOTE: "It would also be helpful to test additional corrections of liberal misperceptions. Currently, all of our backfire results come from conservatives –.... However, without conducting more studies, it is impossible to determine if the results we observe are systematic or the result of the specific misperceptions tested."
@ConservativeClarity How odd that when I click on your name, YouTube tells me that your channel is not available. Well, if your channel is not available to me, my channel will not be available to you. Good luck.
Cayvmann - I've felt the same way trying to have a conversation with many a liberal - and could easily provide a good number of examples on par with those in the video. I would posit that the "back-fire effect" is common to most humans with firmly held beliefs about any number of things. This video is a perfect example of the logical fallacy "dicto simpliciter" - more commonly known as stereotyping.
No need for sarcasm. I didn't "forget" - but perhaps I missed it. Is there a link to an/the actual study?
In order to validate the hypothesis that conservatives may be more prone to the "back-fire effect" than liberals, one would want to look at the methodolgy, e.g. selection criteria, researcher quals, quality of the "refutations"? criteria for identification of subjects as cons v. libs? Reliability? Were any double-blind studies done? Reviews of previous research? Peer review?
Since much of the video was a review of the research about the Backfire Effect, it's shockingly unlikely that you could have watched the video with any meaningful degree of attention and missed that review. I wasn't being sarcastic when I suggested that you must have forgotten the research bit. Rather, I was being charitable, extending you the benefit of the doubt. In light of your most recent comment, it appears my charity was misplaced.
As indicated in the video, there is a link in the description box to a Washington Post article about the study. (You must have missed that, too.) Armed with the information from that article, I'm sure you can gets lots and lots of other stuff by spending a bit of time on Google.
As a matter of fact, I did read the washpost article but I would hardly call that an unbiased SCIENTIFIC summary of original research. You must have missed all the Red Flags.
There's a lot of junk research in the Social Sciences that can support all manner of preconceived notions and stereotypes. So.... your credibility suffers when you post a pop-science article as fact - instead of finding the original study yourself.
This is why I have given up having conversations with "conservatives" at all. My blood pressure was going up, and I felt like I was beating my head against the wall. Now, I am merely irritated when I hear them spouting their lies and rhetoric.
Sadly, living in a fairly conservative area, I have almost no friends... But my blood pressure is normalizing.
For all we know the writers of the Constitution meant that the next president had to come out of their mother's vagina. So the Conservatives are complaining about the wrong thing. They should be claiming that Obama was a test tube baby or that he came out of the womb through a C-section. ;)
I'm a libertarian, often categorized by the left as a conservative, and the research, evidence, and every day experience seem to go hand in hand.
I would also like to add that my experiences with those who are far left tend to be both similar and different. While the liberal tends to have a more pliable set of beliefs, they tend to slander those who do not share the same beliefs.
I think the only difference is that the conservative keeps it inside while the liberal shouts it out.
I wonder if conservative distrust has anything to do with the concept of "Satan" misleading people. Years ago when I was religious, I distrusted even my own thoughts because of this little piece of mind control. If conservatives are conditioned to distrust opposition then they'd be more likely to entrench themselves in horrible beliefs just because they think the messenger is out to trick them.
I would err on the side of caution before drawing those two things as one in the same.
A birther is the equivalent of a truther. A 'teabagger' (that's a compliment mind you, a teabagee would be an insult) is one who wants a reduction in the size of government.
I think there's a sort of conspiracy theory mentality, where if you distrust a group, your gut instinct is to believe the opposite of whatever they say.
If a conservative feels that it's a lib presenting an argument, their hate and anger towards them, this passion, makes them... crazy.
It's like the global warming issue. Maybe Al Gore is just the wrong person to present the information, no matter what the information is.
My additional somewhat unrelated comment is... I thought watching the very bad Mike Judge Film idos...was Underestimating peoples intelligence now I think Dam..maybe not.
That is very interesting and at the same time it doesn't make sense. If someone has proof that what your thinking is completely wrong then how can that person think they are right?
"If someone has proof that what you're thinking is completely wrong, then how can that person think they are right?"
Well, the video talks about some of what people who study this sort of thing have hypothesized is going on. There is also the reality of cognitive dissonance management.
Very interesting, sounds very much like cognitive dissonance management, as you mentioned in your 'die for a lie' series. I've been privy to the back-fire effect many a time when debating conspiracy theorists. I guess we all knew 'true-believers' are unshakable, good insight into why there. Thank you.
Yes, I agree that there's a lot of overlap between this and cognitive dissonance management. Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your taking the time to offer some feedback.
This really is fascinating. At first I thought, "Wow, we needed a study to tell us conservatives are like brick walls?" But seeing as most (hell, almost all, let's be honest) conservatives are religious, and religious people act the same way...
I'm just saying. I've always thought only certain types of people can be religious. I tried it once myself and no dice. Just couldn't get myself to believe it.
I think between understanding the Backfire Effect and the force of cognitive dissonance management among religious believers, one can understand why it can be so difficult for them to see beyond their beliefs.
Yesterday Theramintrees posted on a related topic: "illusion of superiority".
v=XyOHJa5Vj5Y
It is based on the article 'Unskilled and unaware of It: how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.' by Justin Kruger & David Dunning.
Warning, may leave you wondering whether your own competence is imagined (Prof, we have no doubt about you of course!)
This article assumes that the "refutation" is automatically factual. The same mentality can be found among those who believe that George W. is the devil.... i.e. libs.
You are an idiot. Obama was not born in Hawaii. You are not informed.
Oh, yeah, anyone who questions Obama is simply asking "bullshit" questions. Nice socialist attitude ya got there.
Before the war Bush repeatedly said he knew for certain and that there was "no doubt" Iraq had WMDs. He has admitted after the war that there were no WMDs in Iraq when he ordered the invasion. By the basic rules of logic he was lying. Are you retarded or something? How could anyone be such a ignorant bloodthirsty fool and coward?
Are you aware of how the Hawaiian Dept of Health processes requests for birth certificates? Does it make sense that a pregnant woman would visit a country that required a lot of innoculations to visit? Do you know that his Step Grandmother was talking about Obama Sr's birth and mentioned that Obama Jr was born in Hawaii in the same interview? Have you heard that phone call?
I've just reinforced your belief that Obama was born in Kenya.
I, too, am wary of the conclusions drawn from the study. For me at least (a conservative myself [though atheist]), when presented with refutations, it's not so much that I affirm the original claim as it is I'm being skeptical of the refutation. Quite often, refutations given are not conclusive and rely on too many unanswered questions, or there are *possible* refutations to those refutations. True or not, the refutations just plain might not be very strong.
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. " -- John Kenneth Galbraith
I personally believe GWB is the devil, and I will not be shaken in this belief until he is crucified, dies, is buried and is shown ascending to heaven three days later on MSNBC.
i think that it affects conservatives most because their mindset seems to be one that says that admitting a mistake is a sign of weakness. therefore why rethink your ideas when shown new information as it can only make you weaker. ironically, it is a symptom of people who are weak in the first place and are motivated by fear
Absolutely fascinating video. Thank you. Now do you have anything to explain why so many people are willing to believe absurd emails they receive, without bothering to find out if they are credible claims? What makes them so gullible? I have talked to people who believe Obama won't say the Pledge of Allegiance, Obama was sworn in on the Koran, Obama won't put his hand on his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance, the Dems invented abortion to keep the black population down, etc. Can you explain?
I wish I could explain it. Even if I could, I suspect the explanation would far exceed the 500-character limit for comments. Human beings are complicated, even the stupid ones.
I hold an entrenched belief that most conservatives are either evil, stupid, or both. I have come to this conclusion through a lifetime of research, empirical observation and analysis.
Your video makes me wonder how I would react to a definitive refutation of this belief.
Alas, it seems I will never know.
Evidence supporting the thesis just keeps piling up, while any convincing argument to the contrary remains elusive ;-)
While I agree with almost everything you say... how would you interpret your own analysis on John McCain's eligibility..."named academic says he is eligible but 'others' say no". You need to live up to your own standards.
I'm saying that you portrayed the issue in a way that risks appearing like bias. You named a supporter of McCain's eligibility but simply said that unnamed "others" believe he is not eligible... which is hardly a valid way of introducing an argument. PS - this is an observation rather than a criticism.
Bias? Again, I'm not understanding. More to the point, it seems you didn't understand that part of the video. I wasn't "introducing an argument" about Senator McCain's citizenship. I merely noted that there had been meritorious questions raised, which questions were addressed by both scholars of the Constitution and the United States Senate.
Hey, Hernan. De nada. Thank *you*. I had a look at your spoon-bending video. That was great. When I was a kid and Uri Geller would show up on TV, I was fascinated by him.
If being born in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone qualifies a person as a "natural-born" U.S. citizen, then any prisoner being held in the U.S.-controlled detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be subject to U.S. law, including habeas corpus.
Part of this may have to do with the sense that a refutation is an attack on a held belief, and so resistance has to be intensified (despite the truth value of the belief). I've seen grave disapointment on the faces of many republicans when something they believed in did not come to pass, even when they were quite obviously aware of its falsehood and even its bad consequences.
This is kind of really depressing, actually, this "backfire effect". (And yes, I was just about to compare it to refuting some religious claims, but you mentioned that in the video. Nice.)
I think this study only demonstrates a *distrust* among many conservatives when it comes to the media.
Conservatives recognize that there is a large segment of the media that spins the news...unfortunately, they replace those sources with different spinsters.
"I think this study only demonstrates a *distrust* among many conservatives when it comes to the media."
Then it would appear you didn't read the "Washington Post" article about the research. In the case of the WMD claims about Iraq, the conservatives in the study group were given the findings of the Iraq Survey Group -- the so-called Duelfer Report -- which, of course, was an instrumentality of the Bush administration.
There is a video going around the internet of a place called allentown were all the supporter are repulican and thay were all asked about Obama and thay all said the same. They said that Obama was a terrorist! how ignorant
Still loving your videos Prof, I'm going to have to backtrack and view the ones I've missed, (my net connection has been down, one of the trials of being a rural Aussie). Through that whole video I was nodding my head, thinking about the many conversations I've had with the religious right. 'The Backfire Effect', so true, and yet so bizarre. :)
Indeed, Threewiseman1. Sorry to hear about your Internet connection. My home connection was down until late last night, but it usually behaves itself. I guess there *is* some advantage to living in the concrete jungle. ;-)
For all my carping, I wouldn't change it for the world. I lived in my capital city while studying at university, and really didn't enjoy it. People were always in a hurry, yet never seemed to get anywhere.
Well no, you didn't provide a remedy, PM, but you did disseminate info and provide a name for a phenomena that's constantly at play and put to excessive use by the right, countering rebuttal with mere reiteration of the original accusation or mischaracterization. No one who's seen this vid could fail to think of it while watching McCain in debate or Palin at the podium. When I make comments here, it's always with the underlying motivation of encouraging you to keep up your very good work. Thx.
One of the problems is that it's *not* ignorance. Ignorance is not knowing something. That can be remedied. People who suffer from the backfire effect *have* the refuting information.
I worry for Obama. Palin has really put a fire under these nuts and many of them only needed a spark. I hope my fears are unjustified.
The phenomenon that you speak of may be more powerful among Republicans by design. The whole "liberal media" crap is evil in its genius. If they hear something to refute their views, it can be easily discarded as leftist propaganda. The Republicans also gain a lot by the inclusion of Evangelicals in their ranks. Belief is more important than truth.
"The phenomenon that you speak of may be more powerful among Republicans by design. The whole "liberal media" crap is evil in its genius. If they hear something to refute their views, it can be easily discarded as leftist propaganda."
Quite right, Carloz1. It seems clear that the "liberal media" nonsense aggravates the backfire effect to a significant degree.
"The Republicans also gain a lot by the inclusion of Evangelicals in their ranks. Belief is more important than truth."
The Backfire Effect would also explain why Mitt Romney proclaimed that Obama had been on the "defensive" during the last debate, rather than the truth of the matter: that Obama was destroying every red herring John threw out there.
To those of us with an ability to think coherent thoughts, Obama won decisively. My only criticism is that he didn't call McCain a liar for every tired, repeat-claim. McCain is out of ideas and he's recycling his old propaganda. And Republicans are buying it. AGAIN.
Again, I must bring up delusional disorder. Religous indoctrination is so well done that it brings people into a state of abnormal info processing. If it contadicts the belief system, it's filtered out as if it wasn't even heard.
The chance of recovery from this disorder is largely related to the severity of the conviction held regarding the delusion and the openness the person possesses for allowing info that contradicts the delusion. It would dovetail nicely with 'backfire effect'.
Barack Obama and Bill Ayers are NOT friends (although their fathers are). But I don't dare prove to you that Barack Obama and Bill Ayers are not friends, because I might wind up strengthening your belief in that rumor.
I wonder if Obama's success in this campaign couldn't be attributed in some part to his finesse in managing "backfire". He seems to quickly dismiss imaginative accusations without spending a lot of time refuting them.
This is not a million miles from psychics and their cold reading techniques.
Even when it is pointed out they are playing, as Randi puts it, '20 questions', people still believe and ignore the numerous 'misses' and remember the 'hits' that confirm their belief.
People have a great capacity for self delusion esp when it plays to our already held prejudices.
If you haven't seen it, I did a video a few months ago about my going to see a psychic and how a young widow was taken in by the psychic's shtick. It's here: /watch?v=WiKeoP8pFhc.
Back when Randi was "The Amazing Randi", there were people who believed that his magic tricks were real magic, even after he told them it was just a trick. That's why he quit doing magic tricks.
And I just remembered, there was an episode of South Park where Stan was doing psychic tricks to prove that everything this one psychic did could be done by trickery, and the audience thought he had real psychic powers even after he said it was just a trick.
It would be fascinating to know what the mechanisms are behind the backfire phenomenon. My suspicion is that in many cases at a simple level there's an element of protective/defensive reaction against perceived threat of criticism, eg. "I thought I was right before but if *they* disagree I *must* be right."
I remember my mother trying out some cognitive dissonance psychology on me when I was a teenager. Out of the blue, she told me how much she loved my taste in music. Funny then to see her face freeze when I said "Oh, I'll have to play it more often..." ;^>
So are you saying that I was born like this Prof? A silly conservative that is reactionary and rigid in my beliefs! LOL. ;)
As for Obama's citizenship, someone passed along this video to me this week:
v=gA6_k3NtXZs
Any thoughts? You seem absolutely certain that birth records have been produced. It makes no difference to me. Like McCain I was born in a US military installation overseas.
"So are you saying that I was born like this Prof? A silly conservative that is reactionary and rigid in my beliefs! LOL. ;)"
That data don't speak to that, TheEdge. ;-)
"As for Obama's citizenship, someone passed along this video to me this week. ... Any thoughts?"
Well, I'll tell you that when I saw Philip J. Berg appear on the screen, I almost spit out the soda I was taking a sip of. He's a lunatic, TheEdge. You should Google him some time to see the other crazy crap Mr. Berg...
...has been involved in. Senator Obama's birth certificate, which shows that he was born in Hawaii -- one of the 50 states -- has been produced. Good grief, it's all over the Internet (even here on YouTube). Mr. Berg's claims to the contrary are as baseless as Mr. Berg's claims that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney perpetrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Mr. Berg should be disbarred and, probably, spend some time in a mental institution getting some much needed help.
That is why I had to ask. I don't know a thing about Berg yet was offered this video earlier in the week. It created curiosity in me but ultimately I derived no official conclusion from it. Unlike my conservative lab rats that your video makes reference to, I am able to dismiss misinformation like this.
Excellent. You'll note that even in the experiments conducted by the researchers from Duke and Georgia State, a significant minority of conservatives who'd received both the claims and the refutation of those claims did in fact accept the refutation -- about 30% of them. I'm glad to see that you fall into that category.
I really appreciate the information. It's nice to have some experimental data to back up what many of us have know. Many hardcore believers will strengthen their faith the more you challenge it where as people who are "open minded" are more able to incorporate new information.
I have had many personal experiences when studying or debating Christians about their beliefs that resulted in them declaring that "this just made my faith stronger". Or "it reinforces what I knew to be right".
Thanks, HolySinecure. I've had more than a few of those conversations myself. Learning about the "backfire effect" and connecting it to the more general stuff about how people manage cognitive dissonance is putting those conversations in a whole new light.
The new information is compared to the current mindset. The new information threatens the stability of the current mindset. The new information is deemed 'wrong' by virtue of its destabilizing effects and summarily rejected as a plausible explanation.
This phenomenon is crucial to the 'Backfire Effect' and is quite disturbing. As always, thank you Prof for expanding the minds of the knowledge-hungry masses. :D
Good video. I first saw the title and thought it would be about Republicans attack ads backfiring, but this is very interesting. I think it goes a long way to explain the effictiveness of attack ads. The attacked can refute the attack but that sometimes merely strengthens the belief in the attack by others.
"I think it goes a long way to explain the effictiveness of attack ads. The attacked can refute the attack but that sometimes merely strengthens the belief in the attack by others."
You're right Prof. I see that every time I have a conversation with a deeply religious person. And that's because they don't see the refutation as a refutation, but rather as a sign that the refuter is taking things in the wrong context or is just simply not understanding. Same things in politics: you believe somebody is a terrorist or a thief...nothing is going to change your mind....
It seems the backfire effect is tied up with a variety of dissonance management strategies, Buzzusa. While I don't think it's quite as bad as "nothing is going to change [their] mind," it does give one reason to wonder about the general efficacy of dialogue.
I'd like to think this is a conservative thing, but I think its really a social problem. We get information that backs up what we believe and, in our info-glutted society, finding that info is easy. Still, this explains the 'liberal media' bullshit. When the media refutes what you believe with facts, you backlash and call the media biased.
I do think liberals can fall victim to this kind of 'emotion-think'. Fareed Zakaria had a great article in Newsweek a few weeks back about how most of the criticism of the Bush administration is over policies implemented in his first term which he has since changed and noone credits him with that (I still think hes a corrupt, dangerous ideologue). We hate Bush so we refuse to accept that he might be trying. Uggh, I feel like I need a shower now!!
I remember reading somewhere that liberals, on average, have more education than conservatives (anyone wanting to disabuse me with facts is welcome to). Part of any good education is learning to accept facts. I imagine its no mistake that the same group fighting evolution because it doesn't feel Christian also voted in great numbers for Bush (and is busy smearing Obama with nonsenical attacks like "he's arab").
Indeed. I'm going to spend more time researching it. I teach argumentation and always speak with students about the power of refutation. I'm having my doubts about that and will need to refine my lectures accordingly.
I'll bet you anything that if John McCain was from, say, Britain, nobody would grill him. Just as long as he's white! Racist dipshits. I really hope Obama wins.
Politicians use the "Backfire Effect" all the time, so I am not sorry when they fall victims to it themselves.
Secondly I hear profMTH saying "a debate between the president candidates" but of course that isn't true, it's a debate between TWO of the president candidates, because the other 4 are totally ignored.
IGNORED information is also FALSE information and the backfire effect is that the other 4 candidates don't even exist anymore.
I usually say "the major parties' candidates," Drdalet, but I neglected to do so in this case. However, as a practical matter, it seems fair to say that one of the two men who will "debate" tonight will be the next president.
This "backfire effect" really is troublesome and it explains for example why Sarah Palin comes out and claims that she's been cleared from the accusation of abusing her power as governor when the report clearly states otherwise.
However, I hope that this will only affect the conservative constituency which will vote for McCain/Palin anyway. I sure hope that independents will be appalled by this kind of behavior. I still have some trust in human nature...not much though...
Most of the conservative arguments, as well as religious ones, appeal to strong emotions rather than reason. Emotional responses are more closely tied evolutionarily to survival and are therefore much stronger than rational responses. This may account, in large part, for the persistence of belief in spite of contradictory evidence.
The woman who mentioned Obama is non-citizen and the media should look into it. I think is strange because she could of easily googled it herself. Why should she wait unill the media "looked into it". The information is their unless you want to ignore it.
Debate: I think there should be a 3rd party a fact checker.
There should also be more than 3 debates, in fact scrub stump speeches, but the candidates must debate in every state inculding Purero rico.
"The woman who mentioned Obama is non-citizen and the media should look into it. I think is strange because she could of easily googled it herself. Why should she wait unill the media "looked into it"."
Most likely because she doesn't want to encounter any refutation of her belief.
Little jimmy looking at the tube with Obama as president knows that even HE can make it if he tries. Where as before, the position of President was only reserved for the very privileged and people with connections.
Having Obama as president would send a great message to all young Americans. As long as you believe in yourself and try hard at your goal, regardless of your skin color, your background, etc, you can still make it. I think that is very important for this country, to give young people hope, to show them that we ARE a country that not only believe in equality but practices it.
Indeed, Christpunchers. It would certainly send a better version of the "anyone can be president" message than the election of George W. Bush sent. ;-)
This is one of the most interesting videos I've seen in forever Prof. However it's also severely depressing, which adds to my dissappointment as Harper won another election tonight.
I bet all of those people feel retarded now, seeing as Osama died under Obama's presidency.
Youmasteryourcicada 5 days ago
From a few thousand miles away it looks like right-wingers are in a wild west fantasy. So, when under attack they need to have greater solidarity and put the (war) waggons into a circle.
cheers
nedladdy 5 months ago
'The coroner doth protest too much' in a sense.
CrazyBluePrime 9 months ago
OMG, Conservatives stupidity is getting stronger!
TearsOfWar1 11 months ago
This can be a healthy phenomenon, except where the alleged misinformation has been categorically refuted.
baigandine 1 year ago
@baigandine Don't confuse this with skepticism. That's different. Skepticism can be healthy. What's described in this video is not.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
This is a particular manifestation of the well-known phenomenon, Confirmation Bias. Conservatives routinely vote against their own best interest, because they ignore the plain fact that simple answers, containing total certainty, can only be had by denying reality. This is why (pardon the caps-lock), THERE IS NO REASONING WITH THESE PEOPLE. Any idea of meeting them half-way is abortive. They don't just want things both ways, they want things every way.
MrZardoz777 1 year ago
Comment removed
ConservativeClarity 1 year ago
from the Conclusion of the original research: QUOTE: "It would also be helpful to test additional corrections of liberal misperceptions. Currently, all of our backfire results come from conservatives –.... However, without conducting more studies, it is impossible to determine if the results we observe are systematic or the result of the specific misperceptions tested."
ConservativeClarity 1 year ago
@ConservativeClarity Provide your source.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
@ConservativeClarity How odd that when I click on your name, YouTube tells me that your channel is not available. Well, if your channel is not available to me, my channel will not be available to you. Good luck.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
Cayvmann - I've felt the same way trying to have a conversation with many a liberal - and could easily provide a good number of examples on par with those in the video. I would posit that the "back-fire effect" is common to most humans with firmly held beliefs about any number of things. This video is a perfect example of the logical fallacy "dicto simpliciter" - more commonly known as stereotyping.
ConservativeClarity 1 year ago
@ConservativeClarity Except it's based on research into the phenomenon. I guess you forgot that part.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
@ProfMTH
No need for sarcasm. I didn't "forget" - but perhaps I missed it. Is there a link to an/the actual study?
In order to validate the hypothesis that conservatives may be more prone to the "back-fire effect" than liberals, one would want to look at the methodolgy, e.g. selection criteria, researcher quals, quality of the "refutations"? criteria for identification of subjects as cons v. libs? Reliability? Were any double-blind studies done? Reviews of previous research? Peer review?
ConservativeClarity 1 year ago
@ConservativeClarity "...perhaps I missed it."
Since much of the video was a review of the research about the Backfire Effect, it's shockingly unlikely that you could have watched the video with any meaningful degree of attention and missed that review. I wasn't being sarcastic when I suggested that you must have forgotten the research bit. Rather, I was being charitable, extending you the benefit of the doubt. In light of your most recent comment, it appears my charity was misplaced.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
(con't) @ConservativeClarity "Is there a link to an/the actual study?"
As indicated in the video, there is a link in the description box to a Washington Post article about the study. (You must have missed that, too.) Armed with the information from that article, I'm sure you can gets lots and lots of other stuff by spending a bit of time on Google.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
@ProfMTH
As a matter of fact, I did read the washpost article but I would hardly call that an unbiased SCIENTIFIC summary of original research. You must have missed all the Red Flags.
There's a lot of junk research in the Social Sciences that can support all manner of preconceived notions and stereotypes. So.... your credibility suffers when you post a pop-science article as fact - instead of finding the original study yourself.
ConservativeClarity 1 year ago
@ConservativeClarity Feel free to debunk the "original study" then.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
This is why I have given up having conversations with "conservatives" at all. My blood pressure was going up, and I felt like I was beating my head against the wall. Now, I am merely irritated when I hear them spouting their lies and rhetoric.
Sadly, living in a fairly conservative area, I have almost no friends... But my blood pressure is normalizing.
Cayvmann 1 year ago
@Cayvmann LOL.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
For all we know the writers of the Constitution meant that the next president had to come out of their mother's vagina. So the Conservatives are complaining about the wrong thing. They should be claiming that Obama was a test tube baby or that he came out of the womb through a C-section. ;)
shanellypooh 1 year ago
can this also be viewed as a form of "consonance dissonance" you discussed in one of your other videos?
pbhs07 1 year ago
@pbhs07 Cognitive dissonance. Yes indeed.
ProfMTH 1 year ago
I'm a libertarian, often categorized by the left as a conservative, and the research, evidence, and every day experience seem to go hand in hand.
I would also like to add that my experiences with those who are far left tend to be both similar and different. While the liberal tends to have a more pliable set of beliefs, they tend to slander those who do not share the same beliefs.
I think the only difference is that the conservative keeps it inside while the liberal shouts it out.
CrimsonEdge38 2 years ago
I wonder if conservative distrust has anything to do with the concept of "Satan" misleading people. Years ago when I was religious, I distrusted even my own thoughts because of this little piece of mind control. If conservatives are conditioned to distrust opposition then they'd be more likely to entrench themselves in horrible beliefs just because they think the messenger is out to trick them.
Asylumer 2 years ago
I suspect it very much is a factor for religious conservatives.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
Anyone who does not accept that conservatives are mentally ill, need only look at the birthers and teabaggers.
Walabio 2 years ago
@Walabio
I would err on the side of caution before drawing those two things as one in the same.
A birther is the equivalent of a truther. A 'teabagger' (that's a compliment mind you, a teabagee would be an insult) is one who wants a reduction in the size of government.
CrimsonEdge38 2 years ago
I think there's a sort of conspiracy theory mentality, where if you distrust a group, your gut instinct is to believe the opposite of whatever they say.
If a conservative feels that it's a lib presenting an argument, their hate and anger towards them, this passion, makes them... crazy.
It's like the global warming issue. Maybe Al Gore is just the wrong person to present the information, no matter what the information is.
highwind8124 2 years ago
Fascinating....a combination of self delusion-misconceptions-blind belief...interestingly it sounds like the first stage of grief...denial..
ScreechingInsanity 2 years ago
Yeah, it kind of does. However, the person never moves to the next stage.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
My additional somewhat unrelated comment is... I thought watching the very bad Mike Judge Film idos...was Underestimating peoples intelligence now I think Dam..maybe not.
Davidle141 2 years ago
That is very interesting and at the same time it doesn't make sense. If someone has proof that what your thinking is completely wrong then how can that person think they are right?
Davidle141 2 years ago
"If someone has proof that what you're thinking is completely wrong, then how can that person think they are right?"
Well, the video talks about some of what people who study this sort of thing have hypothesized is going on. There is also the reality of cognitive dissonance management.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
Very interesting, sounds very much like cognitive dissonance management, as you mentioned in your 'die for a lie' series. I've been privy to the back-fire effect many a time when debating conspiracy theorists. I guess we all knew 'true-believers' are unshakable, good insight into why there. Thank you.
alexkidd3d 2 years ago
Yes, I agree that there's a lot of overlap between this and cognitive dissonance management. Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your taking the time to offer some feedback.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
This really is fascinating. At first I thought, "Wow, we needed a study to tell us conservatives are like brick walls?" But seeing as most (hell, almost all, let's be honest) conservatives are religious, and religious people act the same way...
I'm just saying. I've always thought only certain types of people can be religious. I tried it once myself and no dice. Just couldn't get myself to believe it.
HeadoftheHydra 2 years ago
I think between understanding the Backfire Effect and the force of cognitive dissonance management among religious believers, one can understand why it can be so difficult for them to see beyond their beliefs.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
Fascinating!
Masher88 2 years ago
Glad you thought so.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
I got cool deja vu watching this. I feel like i dreamed it.
TheLastCoolName 2 years ago
Yesterday Theramintrees posted on a related topic: "illusion of superiority".
v=XyOHJa5Vj5Y
It is based on the article 'Unskilled and unaware of It: how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.' by Justin Kruger & David Dunning.
Warning, may leave you wondering whether your own competence is imagined (Prof, we have no doubt about you of course!)
MrFacet 2 years ago
"Prof, we have no doubt about you of course!"
That my own competence is imagined, you mean? lol
ProfMTH 2 years ago
Uhm, "no comment" :P
MrFacet 2 years ago
LOL!
ProfMTH 2 years ago
Now I know what to call it! Thank you professor.
TaurusCanser 2 years ago
You're welcome.
ProfMTH 2 years ago
citiz
melora72 3 years ago
This article assumes that the "refutation" is automatically factual. The same mentality can be found among those who believe that George W. is the devil.... i.e. libs.
You are an idiot. Obama was not born in Hawaii. You are not informed.
Oh, yeah, anyone who questions Obama is simply asking "bullshit" questions. Nice socialist attitude ya got there.
brotherbriann 3 years ago
"You are an idiot."
LOL! Merry Christmas to you, too, BrotherBriann.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Before the war Bush repeatedly said he knew for certain and that there was "no doubt" Iraq had WMDs. He has admitted after the war that there were no WMDs in Iraq when he ordered the invasion. By the basic rules of logic he was lying. Are you retarded or something? How could anyone be such a ignorant bloodthirsty fool and coward?
fjfjvmvm 3 years ago
Are you aware of how the Hawaiian Dept of Health processes requests for birth certificates? Does it make sense that a pregnant woman would visit a country that required a lot of innoculations to visit? Do you know that his Step Grandmother was talking about Obama Sr's birth and mentioned that Obama Jr was born in Hawaii in the same interview? Have you heard that phone call?
I've just reinforced your belief that Obama was born in Kenya.
I'm the kool-aid-drinking sheep?
melora72 3 years ago
I, too, am wary of the conclusions drawn from the study. For me at least (a conservative myself [though atheist]), when presented with refutations, it's not so much that I affirm the original claim as it is I'm being skeptical of the refutation. Quite often, refutations given are not conclusive and rely on too many unanswered questions, or there are *possible* refutations to those refutations. True or not, the refutations just plain might not be very strong.
AcidRain64 3 years ago
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. " -- John Kenneth Galbraith
I personally believe GWB is the devil, and I will not be shaken in this belief until he is crucified, dies, is buried and is shown ascending to heaven three days later on MSNBC.
javaman1891 2 years ago
But, by the way, you're the idiot. Obama was indeed born in Hawaii. Honolulu, specifically. On August 4, 1961. Get informed.
;-)
AcidRain64 3 years ago
"you are an idiot. obama was not born in hawaii."
good job, slugger
mmaguy2009 2 years ago
Perfect. LMAO!
javaman1891 2 years ago
I really hope one day long after any one who is alive today is gone.
There will be an American society with out any religious nonsense.
Perhaps more over a world with out any of that nonsense.
jaif4 3 years ago
i think that it affects conservatives most because their mindset seems to be one that says that admitting a mistake is a sign of weakness. therefore why rethink your ideas when shown new information as it can only make you weaker. ironically, it is a symptom of people who are weak in the first place and are motivated by fear
armilecj 3 years ago
Great Video! I have noticed this as well. These people will insist to the death an out right lie is true.
Thank God there were no terrorist activities during this election. I will never forget the fear, FEAR, FEAR campaign! I'm still ill over that one.
Where has our free thinking gone? Is it a clear difference in brain structure? Can we fix these people? Interesting stuff, keep up the good work.
hmeehan 3 years ago
Absolutely fascinating video. Thank you. Now do you have anything to explain why so many people are willing to believe absurd emails they receive, without bothering to find out if they are credible claims? What makes them so gullible? I have talked to people who believe Obama won't say the Pledge of Allegiance, Obama was sworn in on the Koran, Obama won't put his hand on his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance, the Dems invented abortion to keep the black population down, etc. Can you explain?
MisiaFine 3 years ago
I wish I could explain it. Even if I could, I suspect the explanation would far exceed the 500-character limit for comments. Human beings are complicated, even the stupid ones.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Nice work!
I hold an entrenched belief that most conservatives are either evil, stupid, or both. I have come to this conclusion through a lifetime of research, empirical observation and analysis.
Your video makes me wonder how I would react to a definitive refutation of this belief.
Alas, it seems I will never know.
Evidence supporting the thesis just keeps piling up, while any convincing argument to the contrary remains elusive ;-)
javaman1891 3 years ago
"Evidence supporting the thesis just keeps piling up, while any convincing argument to the contrary remains elusive."
LOL!
ProfMTH 3 years ago
While I agree with almost everything you say... how would you interpret your own analysis on John McCain's eligibility..."named academic says he is eligible but 'others' say no". You need to live up to your own standards.
joe03056 3 years ago
I'm not sure I understand you, Joe. Are you asking me whether I believe John McCain satisfies the Constititon's "natural born citizen" requirement?
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I'm saying that you portrayed the issue in a way that risks appearing like bias. You named a supporter of McCain's eligibility but simply said that unnamed "others" believe he is not eligible... which is hardly a valid way of introducing an argument. PS - this is an observation rather than a criticism.
joe03056 3 years ago
Bias? Again, I'm not understanding. More to the point, it seems you didn't understand that part of the video. I wasn't "introducing an argument" about Senator McCain's citizenship. I merely noted that there had been meritorious questions raised, which questions were addressed by both scholars of the Constitution and the United States Senate.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Hey, Prof. Your videos are REALLY great! Thank you.
hernantoro 3 years ago
Hey, Hernan. De nada. Thank *you*. I had a look at your spoon-bending video. That was great. When I was a kid and Uri Geller would show up on TV, I was fascinated by him.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
If being born in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone qualifies a person as a "natural-born" U.S. citizen, then any prisoner being held in the U.S.-controlled detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be subject to U.S. law, including habeas corpus.
pagano60 3 years ago
Could you please speak faster
GomerDose 3 years ago
Not until you start making videos. Have a nice life.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Part of this may have to do with the sense that a refutation is an attack on a held belief, and so resistance has to be intensified (despite the truth value of the belief). I've seen grave disapointment on the faces of many republicans when something they believed in did not come to pass, even when they were quite obviously aware of its falsehood and even its bad consequences.
Kierketaard 3 years ago
"Part of this may have to do with the sense that a refutation is an attack on a held belief, and so resistance has to be intensified...."
Indeed.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This is kind of really depressing, actually, this "backfire effect". (And yes, I was just about to compare it to refuting some religious claims, but you mentioned that in the video. Nice.)
ByrdieFae 3 years ago
It is a bit of a bummer.
Thanks for the comment, ByrdieFae.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I think this study only demonstrates a *distrust* among many conservatives when it comes to the media.
Conservatives recognize that there is a large segment of the media that spins the news...unfortunately, they replace those sources with different spinsters.
antipelagian 3 years ago
"I think this study only demonstrates a *distrust* among many conservatives when it comes to the media."
Then it would appear you didn't read the "Washington Post" article about the research. In the case of the WMD claims about Iraq, the conservatives in the study group were given the findings of the Iraq Survey Group -- the so-called Duelfer Report -- which, of course, was an instrumentality of the Bush administration.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This could go some way to explaining the dirtiness of the McCaim campaign.
It would also explain how fundamentalist christians can continue to believe their nonsense when presented with solid evidence to the contrary.
thatgaybloke 3 years ago
Yep.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
There is a video going around the internet of a place called allentown were all the supporter are repulican and thay were all asked about Obama and thay all said the same. They said that Obama was a terrorist! how ignorant
Joboy199204 3 years ago
Hhhhmmm..... The backfire effect does seem very familar in religious debates.
TheAtheistPaladin 3 years ago
Indeed. Nice to hear from you, by the way.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Still loving your videos Prof, I'm going to have to backtrack and view the ones I've missed, (my net connection has been down, one of the trials of being a rural Aussie). Through that whole video I was nodding my head, thinking about the many conversations I've had with the religious right. 'The Backfire Effect', so true, and yet so bizarre. :)
threewiseman1 3 years ago
Indeed, Threewiseman1. Sorry to hear about your Internet connection. My home connection was down until late last night, but it usually behaves itself. I guess there *is* some advantage to living in the concrete jungle. ;-)
ProfMTH 3 years ago
For all my carping, I wouldn't change it for the world. I lived in my capital city while studying at university, and really didn't enjoy it. People were always in a hurry, yet never seemed to get anywhere.
threewiseman1 3 years ago
Well, good for you. It's important to be in a place where one is happy.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Well no, you didn't provide a remedy, PM, but you did disseminate info and provide a name for a phenomena that's constantly at play and put to excessive use by the right, countering rebuttal with mere reiteration of the original accusation or mischaracterization. No one who's seen this vid could fail to think of it while watching McCain in debate or Palin at the podium. When I make comments here, it's always with the underlying motivation of encouraging you to keep up your very good work. Thx.
cosmicjackpot 3 years ago
looks like this is going to be a problem for a long time... which is sad... how to combat this kind of ignorance?
FinnHawk 3 years ago
One of the problems is that it's *not* ignorance. Ignorance is not knowing something. That can be remedied. People who suffer from the backfire effect *have* the refuting information.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
awesome video!!!!!!!!!!!
if only every conservative saw this video!!!
we would live in a better world..
spread the word...
-OBAMA 08-
bigrooster831 3 years ago
Thanks, Bigrooster.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I worry for Obama. Palin has really put a fire under these nuts and many of them only needed a spark. I hope my fears are unjustified.
The phenomenon that you speak of may be more powerful among Republicans by design. The whole "liberal media" crap is evil in its genius. If they hear something to refute their views, it can be easily discarded as leftist propaganda. The Republicans also gain a lot by the inclusion of Evangelicals in their ranks. Belief is more important than truth.
carloz1 3 years ago
"The phenomenon that you speak of may be more powerful among Republicans by design. The whole "liberal media" crap is evil in its genius. If they hear something to refute their views, it can be easily discarded as leftist propaganda."
Quite right, Carloz1. It seems clear that the "liberal media" nonsense aggravates the backfire effect to a significant degree.
"The Republicans also gain a lot by the inclusion of Evangelicals in their ranks. Belief is more important than truth."
Alas.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
"I worry for Obama. Palin has really put a fire under these nuts and many of them only needed a spark. I hope my fears are unjustified."
I share your concern. McCain-Palin have behaved recklessly on this, as they have behaved recklessly on so much. "Country first," my ass.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I always like how well researched your videos are and how you have links on the side.
kublakhan1816 3 years ago
Thanks, Kublakhan.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king
diogeneslaertius666 3 years ago
"Of course it's not true! Make the bastard deny it!" - Lyndon Johnson
The backfire effect has been in play for some time now.
JimGunning 3 years ago
Indeed.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Nicely done.
wanderer11111 3 years ago
Thanks.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
The Backfire Effect would also explain why Mitt Romney proclaimed that Obama had been on the "defensive" during the last debate, rather than the truth of the matter: that Obama was destroying every red herring John threw out there.
To those of us with an ability to think coherent thoughts, Obama won decisively. My only criticism is that he didn't call McCain a liar for every tired, repeat-claim. McCain is out of ideas and he's recycling his old propaganda. And Republicans are buying it. AGAIN.
TrenchantAtheist 3 years ago
Again, I must bring up delusional disorder. Religous indoctrination is so well done that it brings people into a state of abnormal info processing. If it contadicts the belief system, it's filtered out as if it wasn't even heard.
The chance of recovery from this disorder is largely related to the severity of the conviction held regarding the delusion and the openness the person possesses for allowing info that contradicts the delusion. It would dovetail nicely with 'backfire effect'.
saxmanchiro 3 years ago
You think liberals arent stubborn in their beliefs?
Watch what happens.
Barak Obama is friends will Bill Ayers.
What does Obama have in common with Osama? They both have friends who bombed the pentagon.
autonomyparty 3 years ago
Barack Obama and Bill Ayers are NOT friends (although their fathers are). But I don't dare prove to you that Barack Obama and Bill Ayers are not friends, because I might wind up strengthening your belief in that rumor.
Heathenfidel 3 years ago
LOL! Well done, Heatheninfidel. Well done.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
"Barak Obama is friends will Bill Ayers."
:: snore :: Good god, you're a one-trick pony and becoming an awful bore, Autonomyparty. Moreover, you're the backfire effect incarnate.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This is exactly the same faulty self-justification that religious people use. It's the same asinine ignorance. Wrong and strong.
DblOSmith 3 years ago
I wonder if Obama's success in this campaign couldn't be attributed in some part to his finesse in managing "backfire". He seems to quickly dismiss imaginative accusations without spending a lot of time refuting them.
cosmicjackpot 3 years ago
You may be on to something there, Cosmic.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This is not a million miles from psychics and their cold reading techniques.
Even when it is pointed out they are playing, as Randi puts it, '20 questions', people still believe and ignore the numerous 'misses' and remember the 'hits' that confirm their belief.
People have a great capacity for self delusion esp when it plays to our already held prejudices.
mattblackcat 3 years ago
Quite right, Mattblackcat.
If you haven't seen it, I did a video a few months ago about my going to see a psychic and how a young widow was taken in by the psychic's shtick. It's here: /watch?v=WiKeoP8pFhc.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Back when Randi was "The Amazing Randi", there were people who believed that his magic tricks were real magic, even after he told them it was just a trick. That's why he quit doing magic tricks.
And I just remembered, there was an episode of South Park where Stan was doing psychic tricks to prove that everything this one psychic did could be done by trickery, and the audience thought he had real psychic powers even after he said it was just a trick.
Heathenfidel 3 years ago
I think they must be just really stubborn. Dang, that woman was not even convinced by the very person she believes in, and is voting for.
Mega stubborn!
Melechkibitzer 3 years ago
lol Indeed, Melechkibitzer.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
It's like some kind of science-fiction ignorance field. The harder you push against it, the stronger it gets.
What penetrates the ignorance field to the conservative person hiding behind it? That's the question...
OccamKant 3 years ago
And an excellent question it is, OccamKant. If I knew the answer, I'd be publishing the paper rather than those guys from Duke and Georgia State. ;-)
ProfMTH 3 years ago
another great vid, very entertaining vids you make.5*
Bluenosedwill1 3 years ago
Thanks very much, Bluenosedwill1.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
It would be fascinating to know what the mechanisms are behind the backfire phenomenon. My suspicion is that in many cases at a simple level there's an element of protective/defensive reaction against perceived threat of criticism, eg. "I thought I was right before but if *they* disagree I *must* be right."
Excellent video, Prof!
QualiaSoup 3 years ago
Thanks, Qualia. Yes, I think you're right on target there. The backfire effect seems to be a type of cognitive dissonance management.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I remember my mother trying out some cognitive dissonance psychology on me when I was a teenager. Out of the blue, she told me how much she loved my taste in music. Funny then to see her face freeze when I said "Oh, I'll have to play it more often..." ;^>
QualiaSoup 3 years ago
lol
ProfMTH 3 years ago
So are you saying that I was born like this Prof? A silly conservative that is reactionary and rigid in my beliefs! LOL. ;)
As for Obama's citizenship, someone passed along this video to me this week:
v=gA6_k3NtXZs
Any thoughts? You seem absolutely certain that birth records have been produced. It makes no difference to me. Like McCain I was born in a US military installation overseas.
TheEdge012 3 years ago
"So are you saying that I was born like this Prof? A silly conservative that is reactionary and rigid in my beliefs! LOL. ;)"
That data don't speak to that, TheEdge. ;-)
"As for Obama's citizenship, someone passed along this video to me this week. ... Any thoughts?"
Well, I'll tell you that when I saw Philip J. Berg appear on the screen, I almost spit out the soda I was taking a sip of. He's a lunatic, TheEdge. You should Google him some time to see the other crazy crap Mr. Berg...
ProfMTH 3 years ago
...has been involved in. Senator Obama's birth certificate, which shows that he was born in Hawaii -- one of the 50 states -- has been produced. Good grief, it's all over the Internet (even here on YouTube). Mr. Berg's claims to the contrary are as baseless as Mr. Berg's claims that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney perpetrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Mr. Berg should be disbarred and, probably, spend some time in a mental institution getting some much needed help.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
That is why I had to ask. I don't know a thing about Berg yet was offered this video earlier in the week. It created curiosity in me but ultimately I derived no official conclusion from it. Unlike my conservative lab rats that your video makes reference to, I am able to dismiss misinformation like this.
TheEdge012 3 years ago
Excellent. You'll note that even in the experiments conducted by the researchers from Duke and Georgia State, a significant minority of conservatives who'd received both the claims and the refutation of those claims did in fact accept the refutation -- about 30% of them. I'm glad to see that you fall into that category.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I really appreciate the information. It's nice to have some experimental data to back up what many of us have know. Many hardcore believers will strengthen their faith the more you challenge it where as people who are "open minded" are more able to incorporate new information.
dannywilkerson1 3 years ago
Yes, there seems to be a correlation between the rigidity of one's belief system and the degree to which one will experience the backfire effect.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This seems to be very similar to conspiracy theorist where all refutations of their claims are seen as evidence to support said claim.
miknarf 3 years ago
True.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I have had many personal experiences when studying or debating Christians about their beliefs that resulted in them declaring that "this just made my faith stronger". Or "it reinforces what I knew to be right".
This backfire effect phenomenon explains much.
Thanks again for another excellent video ProfMTH!
holysinecure 3 years ago
Thanks, HolySinecure. I've had more than a few of those conversations myself. Learning about the "backfire effect" and connecting it to the more general stuff about how people manage cognitive dissonance is putting those conversations in a whole new light.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Wow, I love the "M"s on that anti Obama Sign :P
CypherSystem 3 years ago
Two words: Cognitive Dissonance.
The new information is compared to the current mindset. The new information threatens the stability of the current mindset. The new information is deemed 'wrong' by virtue of its destabilizing effects and summarily rejected as a plausible explanation.
This phenomenon is crucial to the 'Backfire Effect' and is quite disturbing. As always, thank you Prof for expanding the minds of the knowledge-hungry masses. :D
MizarShadow 3 years ago
Thanks, Mizar. You're quite right to link this to dissonance management.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
The backfire effect sounds just like what happens to creationists and people who believe they were abducted.
lordcheetah 3 years ago
Are they 'conservative' because they're more likely to believe debunked claims, or is it the other way around?
This seems to support the notion that the more outrageous (and easily debunked) the claims, the more tightly these folks will cling to them
proudfootz 3 years ago
Good video. I first saw the title and thought it would be about Republicans attack ads backfiring, but this is very interesting. I think it goes a long way to explain the effictiveness of attack ads. The attacked can refute the attack but that sometimes merely strengthens the belief in the attack by others.
oggleman 3 years ago
"I think it goes a long way to explain the effictiveness of attack ads. The attacked can refute the attack but that sometimes merely strengthens the belief in the attack by others."
Exactly right, Oggleman.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Your Information and fact finding is so impressive, I always learn so much from your vids, and look forword to each one.
Clemburke1111 3 years ago
Well, thanks very much, Clemburke. Very nice of you to say.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
You're right Prof. I see that every time I have a conversation with a deeply religious person. And that's because they don't see the refutation as a refutation, but rather as a sign that the refuter is taking things in the wrong context or is just simply not understanding. Same things in politics: you believe somebody is a terrorist or a thief...nothing is going to change your mind....
buzzausa 3 years ago
It seems the backfire effect is tied up with a variety of dissonance management strategies, Buzzusa. While I don't think it's quite as bad as "nothing is going to change [their] mind," it does give one reason to wonder about the general efficacy of dialogue.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Yup, I'm so proud of us in Minnesota. Sheesh!
timjhnsn 3 years ago
lol Well, don't feel too badly. Lots of great people in Minnesota. :-)
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I'd like to think this is a conservative thing, but I think its really a social problem. We get information that backs up what we believe and, in our info-glutted society, finding that info is easy. Still, this explains the 'liberal media' bullshit. When the media refutes what you believe with facts, you backlash and call the media biased.
eirefrance 3 years ago
"When the media refutes what you believe with facts, you backlash and call the media biased."
I think that's frequently what's going on, Eirefrance.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I do think liberals can fall victim to this kind of 'emotion-think'. Fareed Zakaria had a great article in Newsweek a few weeks back about how most of the criticism of the Bush administration is over policies implemented in his first term which he has since changed and noone credits him with that (I still think hes a corrupt, dangerous ideologue). We hate Bush so we refuse to accept that he might be trying. Uggh, I feel like I need a shower now!!
eirefrance 3 years ago
"I do think liberals can fall victim to this kind of 'emotion-think'."
Clearly. The Washington Post pointed that out. However, the research indicates that the incidence of it is greater among conservatives.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I remember reading somewhere that liberals, on average, have more education than conservatives (anyone wanting to disabuse me with facts is welcome to). Part of any good education is learning to accept facts. I imagine its no mistake that the same group fighting evolution because it doesn't feel Christian also voted in great numbers for Bush (and is busy smearing Obama with nonsenical attacks like "he's arab").
eirefrance 3 years ago
Very interesting. You hint at a correlation between strictly held beliefs and the backfire effect, but I wonder what actually causes it.
Could make for some good research.
beastlt12 3 years ago
Indeed. I'm going to spend more time researching it. I teach argumentation and always speak with students about the power of refutation. I'm having my doubts about that and will need to refine my lectures accordingly.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
I'll bet you anything that if John McCain was from, say, Britain, nobody would grill him. Just as long as he's white! Racist dipshits. I really hope Obama wins.
sthebg20 3 years ago
Another great video, Prof... conservatives are scary as fuck.
jussts 3 years ago
Thanks, Jussts.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Politicians use the "Backfire Effect" all the time, so I am not sorry when they fall victims to it themselves.
Secondly I hear profMTH saying "a debate between the president candidates" but of course that isn't true, it's a debate between TWO of the president candidates, because the other 4 are totally ignored.
IGNORED information is also FALSE information and the backfire effect is that the other 4 candidates don't even exist anymore.
That is because the elections are NOT democratic.
drdalet 3 years ago
I usually say "the major parties' candidates," Drdalet, but I neglected to do so in this case. However, as a practical matter, it seems fair to say that one of the two men who will "debate" tonight will be the next president.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This "backfire effect" really is troublesome and it explains for example why Sarah Palin comes out and claims that she's been cleared from the accusation of abusing her power as governor when the report clearly states otherwise.
However, I hope that this will only affect the conservative constituency which will vote for McCain/Palin anyway. I sure hope that independents will be appalled by this kind of behavior. I still have some trust in human nature...not much though...
thalamay 3 years ago
Most of the conservative arguments, as well as religious ones, appeal to strong emotions rather than reason. Emotional responses are more closely tied evolutionarily to survival and are therefore much stronger than rational responses. This may account, in large part, for the persistence of belief in spite of contradictory evidence.
klangsteiner 3 years ago
The woman who mentioned Obama is non-citizen and the media should look into it. I think is strange because she could of easily googled it herself. Why should she wait unill the media "looked into it". The information is their unless you want to ignore it.
Debate: I think there should be a 3rd party a fact checker.
There should also be more than 3 debates, in fact scrub stump speeches, but the candidates must debate in every state inculding Purero rico.
jdquarg 3 years ago
"The woman who mentioned Obama is non-citizen and the media should look into it. I think is strange because she could of easily googled it herself. Why should she wait unill the media "looked into it"."
Most likely because she doesn't want to encounter any refutation of her belief.
ProfMTH 3 years ago
Little jimmy looking at the tube with Obama as president knows that even HE can make it if he tries. Where as before, the position of President was only reserved for the very privileged and people with connections.
christpunchers 3 years ago
Having Obama as president would send a great message to all young Americans. As long as you believe in yourself and try hard at your goal, regardless of your skin color, your background, etc, you can still make it. I think that is very important for this country, to give young people hope, to show them that we ARE a country that not only believe in equality but practices it.
christpunchers 3 years ago
Indeed, Christpunchers. It would certainly send a better version of the "anyone can be president" message than the election of George W. Bush sent. ;-)
ProfMTH 3 years ago
This is one of the most interesting videos I've seen in forever Prof. However it's also severely depressing, which adds to my dissappointment as Harper won another election tonight.
andrewrberkshire 3 years ago