Cultural Evolution Seminar: Belief System Networks
Seminar
Date: Tuesday 22 January 2019
Time: 15.15 – 17.00
Location: Wallenberglaboratoriet 334
Mark Brandt from Tilburg University will conceptualise and analyse attitudes and identities as interactive nodes in a belief system network. What is central to belief systems and which structures lead people to become ideologues?
Abstract
What is the basic structure of belief systems? Clear answers to this fundamental question are not forthcoming. This is because we typically measure a belief system by averaging across several relevant items and forming a scale (e.g., of conservatism). This approach cannot assess a system of beliefs because it cannot assess the network of connections between the beliefs that make up the system; it collapses across them and the interrelationships are lost. In this talk, I will present new work where I conceptualize and analyze attitudes and identities as interactive nodes in a belief system network. With this approach, representative survey data, and simulation studies, I examine two key questions in research on political belief systems: (Q1) What is central to belief systems and behavior (A1: identities, preprint)? (Q2) What belief system structure leads people to become ideologues (i.e. people with consistent and stable belief systems) (A2: dense networks with consistently positive connections)? These questions (and preliminary answers) are an initial step towards taking seriously the idea that belief systems are in fact systems.
Last updated: September 23, 2022
Source: CEK