"Under the Hood" describes processes that go on beneath the verbal behaviors that the previous six essays analyze. Essays describe the effects of belief in a just world; differences between liberals and conservatives in their explanations for behaviors; how the emotion of disgust is politically important; the heritability of political attitudes; why conspiracy theories are so popular among conservatives; and what goes on inside conservative brains.
The social-psychological research we've seen so far has relied on analysis of attitudes, beliefs, and personality factors that affect the expression of conservative and authoritarian actions. The present section covers findings from various types of research that look under the hood at cognitive processes. (A pretty disturbing metaphor, as I re-read it.)
They aren't yet able to read our minds, but researchers have doggedly and creatively found ways to formulate and test substantive hypotheses about what goes on in our minds. They've discovered a lot that ought to inform our introspections as well as our understanding of others.
Prominent here is cognitive science, which is in the midst of a flowering that in the past we could only speculate about. A large number of books aimed at a lay audience have been published about cognitive science, and you may already have heard some of the good news: We have a corrective for our naive theories of mind.
Next: A Just World with Just Institutions
© 2021, Ross A. Hangartner