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The Raelian Movement
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People sometimes seek the truth, but most prefer like-minded views
http://www.physorg.com/news165643839.html
July 1st, 2009

University of Illinois psychology professor Dolores Albarracin and her
colleagues found that people who are unsure of their own beliefs are
less likely to entertain opposing views.

We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see
and hear. A new analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new
light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found
that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they
already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out,
or at least consider, other points of view.

The analysis, reported this month in Psychological Bulletin, published
by the American Psychological Association, was led by researchers at
the University of Illinois and the University of Florida, and included
data from 91 studies involving nearly 8,000 participants. It puts to
rest a longstanding debate over whether people actively avoid
information that contradicts what they believe, or whether they are
simply exposed more often to ideas that conform to their own because
they tend to be surrounded by like-minded people.

"We wanted to see exactly across the board to what extent people are
willing to seek out the truth versus just stay comfortable with what
they know," said University of Illinois psychology professor Dolores
Albarracín, who led the study with University of Florida researcher
William Hart. The team also included researchers from Northwestern
University and Ohio University.

The studies they reviewed generally asked participants about their
views on a given topic and then allowed them to choose whether they
wanted to view or read information supporting their own or an opposing
point of view.

The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select
information that supports their own point of view (67 percent) as to
consider an opposing idea (33 percent).

Certain individuals, those with close-minded personalities, are even
more reluctant to expose themselves to differing perspectives,
Albarracín said. They will opt for the information that corresponds to
their views nearly 75 percent of the time.

The researchers also found, not surprisingly, that people are more
resistant to new points of view when their own ideas are associated
with political, religious or ethical values.

"If you are really committed to your own attitude - for example, if
you are a very committed Democrat - you are more likely to seek
congenial information, that is, information that corresponds with your
views," Albarracín said. "If the issues concern moral values or
politics, about 70 percent of the time you will choose congenial
information, versus about 60 percent of the time if the issues are not
related to values."

Perhaps more surprisingly, people who have little confidence in their
own beliefs are less likely to expose themselves to contrary views
than people who are very confident in their own ideas, Albarracín
said.

Certain factors can also induce people to seek out opposing points of
view, she said. Those who may have to publicly defend their ideas,
such as politicians, for example, are more motivated to learn about
the views of those who oppose them. In the process, she said, they
sometimes find that their own ideas evolve.

People are also more likely to expose themselves to opposing ideas
when it is useful to them in some way, Albarracín said.

"If you're going to buy a house and you really like the house, you're
still going to have it inspected," she said. Similarly, no matter how
much you like your surgeon, you may seek out a second opinion before
scheduling a major operation, she said.

"For the most part it seems that people tend to stay with their own
beliefs and attitudes because changing those might prevent them from
living the lives they're living," Albarracín said. "But it's good news
that one out of three times, or close to that, they are willing to
seek out the other side."

More information: "Feeling Validated Versus Being Correct: A
Meta-Analysis of Selective Exposure to Information" appears in volume
135, No. 4 of Psychological Bulletin. The co-authors: Albarracin;
Hart, Inge Brechan and Lisa Merrill, of the University of Florida;
Alice H. Eagly, of Northwestern University; and Matthew J. Lindberg,
of Ohio University.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign