Presented By: Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD)
RCGD Seminar Series and Katz-Newcomb Colloquium Series: Mark Brandt
(Political) Attitudes are Interdependent
Dr. Mark Brandt, Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University, joins us at the University of Michigan April 21, 2025, for a talk co-sponsored by the Research Center for Group Dynamics and the Katz-Newcomb Colloquium Series.
The scientific study of attitudes typically treats attitudes individualistically. There are individual attitudes (e.g., preference for burritos) that vary in strength (e.g., central to the self), resistance to change (e.g., unwavering in the face of dietary information), and their relationship with relevant behaviors (e.g., purchasing of burritos). This approach misses a key property of attitudes: Attitudes are interdependent.
In this talk, Brandt focuses on recent research from my lab that studies how attitudes are dependent on other attitudes, identities, and values within a political belief system. He presents the findings that (1) central attitudes of a political belief systems are stronger, being more stable overtime and more resistant to change and (2) that attitudes become moralized when they are connected with other moralized attitudes in the belief system. In combination, these findings suggest that the interdependence of attitudes matters for attitude change and moralization.
The goal of Mark Brandt's research is to understand the causes and consequences of political, religious, and moral beliefs that can ultimately be leveraged to reduce conflict and promote a more fair, just, and free society. He studies ideological and moral beliefs – such as political ideology, racism, religious fundamentalism, and moral conviction – and how they structure attitudes and behaviors, how they become moralized, and why people adopt them in the first place.
David Dunning, organizer of the Katz-Newcomb speaker series in Psychology and an associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics, hosts. RCGD's winter 2025 seminar series covers a variety of topics in social science, including social cognition, structural racism, romantic relationships, and cognitive health. Check the schedule for updates to this series that will convene on select Mondays at 3:30 at the Institute for Social Research, Room 1430, and for listings to resume this fall.
As permissions allow, seminars are later posted to the RCGD YouTube playlist.
The scientific study of attitudes typically treats attitudes individualistically. There are individual attitudes (e.g., preference for burritos) that vary in strength (e.g., central to the self), resistance to change (e.g., unwavering in the face of dietary information), and their relationship with relevant behaviors (e.g., purchasing of burritos). This approach misses a key property of attitudes: Attitudes are interdependent.
In this talk, Brandt focuses on recent research from my lab that studies how attitudes are dependent on other attitudes, identities, and values within a political belief system. He presents the findings that (1) central attitudes of a political belief systems are stronger, being more stable overtime and more resistant to change and (2) that attitudes become moralized when they are connected with other moralized attitudes in the belief system. In combination, these findings suggest that the interdependence of attitudes matters for attitude change and moralization.
The goal of Mark Brandt's research is to understand the causes and consequences of political, religious, and moral beliefs that can ultimately be leveraged to reduce conflict and promote a more fair, just, and free society. He studies ideological and moral beliefs – such as political ideology, racism, religious fundamentalism, and moral conviction – and how they structure attitudes and behaviors, how they become moralized, and why people adopt them in the first place.
David Dunning, organizer of the Katz-Newcomb speaker series in Psychology and an associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics, hosts. RCGD's winter 2025 seminar series covers a variety of topics in social science, including social cognition, structural racism, romantic relationships, and cognitive health. Check the schedule for updates to this series that will convene on select Mondays at 3:30 at the Institute for Social Research, Room 1430, and for listings to resume this fall.
As permissions allow, seminars are later posted to the RCGD YouTube playlist.
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