Language Is Fueling , the US Political Divide, Studies Reveal.<br />PsyPost reports that a recent series of studies <br />suggests that the way political opinions are <br />expressed can amplify perceived political differences.<br />PsyPost reports that a recent series of studies <br />suggests that the way political opinions are <br />expressed can amplify perceived political differences.<br />According to findings published in the 'Proceedings of the<br />National Academy of Sciences' (PNAS), generalized <br />statements contribute to increased public polarization.<br />Study author Gustavo Novoa, a PhD candidate in political <br />science at Columbia University, and his colleagues conducted <br />a series of three studies on the impact of generic language.<br />The first of the studies looked to investigate how <br />endorsements of generic political statements could <br />influence how people perceive political polarization.<br />The second study looked at people's ability to recall <br />political information, particularly the tendency to <br />remember quantified statements as generics.<br />The third study explored how polarized judgments <br />emerge from exposure to generic statements about <br />political parties versus quantified statements.<br />PsyPost reports that the findings <br />reveal the powerful role of <br />language on political discourse. .<br />According to Novoa, the findings are evidence , "that the use of generic language, common in everyday <br />speech, has the potential to be interpreted to mean <br />extreme prevalences where they might not exist.".<br />According to Novoa, the findings are evidence , "that the use of generic language, common in everyday <br />speech, has the potential to be interpreted to mean <br />extreme prevalences where they might not exist.".<br />Novoa explains that "you might find examples in the media <br />that argue that Democratic voters are in favor of raising <br />taxes. This is true only in the sense that Democratic voters <br />favor raising taxes at a greater rate than Republican voters.<br />In reality, neither Republican <br />nor Democrat voters support <br />higher taxes. However, you make <br />the statement that Democrats support <br />higher taxes and Republicans do not, <br />most people will agree when surveyed, Gustavo Novoa, study author and PhD candidate <br />in political science at Columbia University, via PsyPost
