Most of us think what our parents told us to think

[mistermack]

Behavior does have a genetic link, so you shouldn't be surprised that children on average closer to their parents beliefs than a random stranger. I'm not discounting a nurture component, just that there is a genetic component.

That would be fairly easy to check. If you look at studies on identical twins, raised separately, you should get a marked similarity in attitudes. Not that I've ever read up on that, but I bet that someone has done a study on it.

[klr]

Confucius he say "The apple does not fall far from the tree ..."

[macdoc]

Socialists and conservatives may be born not made
What hope is there of rational debate if our political affiliations are biologically determined?

http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog ... n-not-made

Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says study
Children with low intelligence grow up to be prejudiced
Right-wing views make the less intelligent feel 'safe'
Analysis of more than 15,000 people
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z2fRV9YFQ2

Only Six Percent Of Scientists Are Republicans: Pew Poll
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../only- ... 9382.html‎
Jul 10, 2009 - A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that the GOP is alienating scientists to a startling degree. Only six percent of America's scientists

INTELLIGENCE SCORES AND BEHAVIOR: EVEN A FEW POINTS MATTER
Low IQ is a known risk factor for crime and delinquency (See related article, Crime Times, Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 6). But a new study by Robert Goodman suggests that even when IQs are in the normal range, lower IQ scores are linked to stealing, lying, and other symptoms of conduct disorder.

Goodman studied 339 children between the ages of 5 and 16. All of the children were seen at a psychiatric clinic. Children with diagnoses of hyperactivity, psychosis, pervasive developmental disorders, or retardation were excluded.

Tests revealed, Goodman says, that lower IQ in his sample of "normal-IQ" subjects was linked to conduct disorder, a link which was stronger in teens than in younger children. "Other dimensional measures of psychopathology--covering emotional symptoms, developmental immaturity and relationship difficulties--were not significantly correlated with IQ," he says.

In Goodman's sample, the mean IQ of children with conduct disorders was nearly 10 points lower than that of children with emotional disorders--and children with mixed disorders of conduct and emotion fell in between. The low-IQ subjects did not appear to be more immature or hyperactive, but Goodman says this is probably because children with overt hyperactivity were excluded from the study.

"When taken together with the results of previous clinical and epidemiological studies," he says, "the findings of this study suggest that IQ variation within the normal range does influence the risk of common childhood psychopathology." The IQ effect remained true when Goodman controlled for socioeconomic status and for reading ability, which he says indicates that "the link between low IQ and conduct problems was not wholly attributable to social class or entirely mediated by scholastic attainments.

"Given the overlap between teenage conduct disorder and juvenile delinquency," Goodman says, "it is worth emphasizing that the link in the current study between low IQ and more conduct problems was greater in teenagers than younger children. In younger children, IQ may be more closely linked to hyperactivity than to conduct problems."

I think we can see a trend here

[mistermack]

I think we can see a trend here

I think we can. Is this trend of you quoting the Guardian and the Daily Mail going to continue?

I might have to stop taking you seriously.

[Tyrannical]

Behavior does have a genetic link, so you shouldn't be surprised that children on average closer to their parents beliefs than a random stranger. I'm not discounting a nurture component, just that there is a genetic component.

That would be fairly easy to check. If you look at studies on identical twins, raised separately, you should get a marked similarity in attitudes. Not that I've ever read up on that, but I bet that someone has done a study on it.

Yeah, twin studies are big, and there have been many on what you have suggested. What I am unaware of if they have conducted these studies over time, since the old wive's tail tells us we become our parents. A twin study has shown that the effect of nurture decreases with age so that by the age of 28 about 90% of IQ is genetic.

[Coito ergo sum]

Confucius he say "The apple does not fall far from the tree ..."

Confucius also say "man who is kicked in testicles is left holding bag."

[Coito ergo sum]

Socialists and conservatives may be born not made
What hope is there of rational debate if our political affiliations are biologically determined?

http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog ... n-not-made

From the study --

In the summer of 2007, 200 participants were brought to a computer laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, to complete a survey soliciting their political, personality and demographic information subsequent to their having been contacted by phone at random by a professional survey organization. Though in no way a representative sample,

If it's not a representative sample, then the study is faulty. It may be interesting, but not persuasive.

Then, says the study --

The particular group employed in the analysis here consisted of 48 individuals who were called back later that summer. They were selected because of availability and because they were the individuals most clearly falling on either the political left or the political right according to the survey responses provided during their first visit.

A sample size of 48, who were picked based on "availability," and who are solidly right or left, with no room for middle ground folks.

And, having read through to the end, the study does not show or conclude that political views are "born not made." The reporting is bogus. The Guardian either didn't read it, or didn't understand it. Probably the latter, since reporters are notoriously shitty at understanding and recounting anything scientific, among other things.

Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says study
Children with low intelligence grow up to be prejudiced
Right-wing views make the less intelligent feel 'safe'
Analysis of more than 15,000 people
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z2fRV9YFQ2

Do we believe the Daily Fail today?

I have an issue with the "children with low intelligence grow up to be prejudiced" conclusion. That doesn't make sense. The incidence of prejudice went from nearly universal among westerners in the 19th century, to somewhat diminished present day. Were people generally stupider decades ago?

The article says - "Conservative politics work almost as a 'gateway' into prejudice against others, say the Canadian academics." LOL. Right. Liberal academics say conservatives are a "gateway" to prejudice. Surprising conclusion....

[rasetsu]

Behavior does have a genetic link, so you shouldn't be surprised that children on average closer to their parents beliefs than a random stranger. I'm not discounting a nurture component, just that there is a genetic component.

That would be fairly easy to check. If you look at studies on identical twins, raised separately, you should get a marked similarity in attitudes. Not that I've ever read up on that, but I bet that someone has done a study on it.

Yeah, I can see why you would complain about my comment regarding you pulling shit from your ass.


My parents were Swedish Presbyterians, but I rebelled early and became Japanese, unlike my brother who grew up to be an Inuit eskimo.

[mistermack]

Yeah, I can see why you would complain about my comment regarding you pulling shit from your ass.


My parents were Swedish Presbyterians, but I rebelled early and became Japanese, unlike my brother who grew up to be an Inuit eskimo.

Is there any trace of sanity in the family?

[Warren Dew]

And, having read through to the end, the study does not show or conclude that political views are "born not made." The reporting is bogus. The Guardian either didn't read it, or didn't understand it. Probably the latter, since reporters are notoriously shitty at understanding and recounting anything scientific, among other things.

Mostly because said reporters tend to be leftist.

[Hermit]

Socialists and conservatives may be born not made
What hope is there of rational debate if our political affiliations are biologically determined?

http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog ... n-not-made

Well may we laugh about past scientific theories, such as flames rising because they possess a property or element called "jubilance". This study is no different. To wit: Each of us possesses "appetitive" and "avoidance" systems, and we are socialists or conservatives depending on which one predominates our emotional sphere. Behavioural genetics sucks when it overreaches its scope.

[cronus]

One mans radical is another mans square. Parents say nothing about the future except what they've known in their past. We've lived through unusually stable times in the West over recent decades that may well be coming to a abrupt end. Emergent new ideas and old ones revisited are all part of the coping systems humans have developed to survive change. Expect change. Expect boundary stones to be uprooted and moved. Don't take your thoughts for granted - you may need to change them to survive.

[Ayaan]

Socialists and conservatives may be born not made
What hope is there of rational debate if our political affiliations are biologically determined?

http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog ... n-not-made

Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says study
Children with low intelligence grow up to be prejudiced
Right-wing views make the less intelligent feel 'safe'
Analysis of more than 15,000 people
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z2fRV9YFQ2

Only Six Percent Of Scientists Are Republicans: Pew Poll
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../only- ... 9382.html‎
Jul 10, 2009 - A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that the GOP is alienating scientists to a startling degree. Only six percent of America's scientists

INTELLIGENCE SCORES AND BEHAVIOR: EVEN A FEW POINTS MATTER
Low IQ is a known risk factor for crime and delinquency (See related article, Crime Times, Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 6). But a new study by Robert Goodman suggests that even when IQs are in the normal range, lower IQ scores are linked to stealing, lying, and other symptoms of conduct disorder.

Goodman studied 339 children between the ages of 5 and 16. All of the children were seen at a psychiatric clinic. Children with diagnoses of hyperactivity, psychosis, pervasive developmental disorders, or retardation were excluded.

Tests revealed, Goodman says, that lower IQ in his sample of "normal-IQ" subjects was linked to conduct disorder, a link which was stronger in teens than in younger children. "Other dimensional measures of psychopathology--covering emotional symptoms, developmental immaturity and relationship difficulties--were not significantly correlated with IQ," he says.

In Goodman's sample, the mean IQ of children with conduct disorders was nearly 10 points lower than that of children with emotional disorders--and children with mixed disorders of conduct and emotion fell in between. The low-IQ subjects did not appear to be more immature or hyperactive, but Goodman says this is probably because children with overt hyperactivity were excluded from the study.

"When taken together with the results of previous clinical and epidemiological studies," he says, "the findings of this study suggest that IQ variation within the normal range does influence the risk of common childhood psychopathology." The IQ effect remained true when Goodman controlled for socioeconomic status and for reading ability, which he says indicates that "the link between low IQ and conduct problems was not wholly attributable to social class or entirely mediated by scholastic attainments.

"Given the overlap between teenage conduct disorder and juvenile delinquency," Goodman says, "it is worth emphasizing that the link in the current study between low IQ and more conduct problems was greater in teenagers than younger children. In younger children, IQ may be more closely linked to hyperactivity than to conduct problems."

I think we can see a trend here

But things like this don't account for those who do a 180 later in life to become more liberal and less religious, completely unlike their parents. Do these people suddenly acquire more IQ points through mail order?

[Tyrannical]

Since we seem to take IQ as a valid measure of intelligence in this thread, anyone care to explain why the group with the lowest average IQ in the US votes 95% Democrat?

[cronus]

Since we seem to take IQ as a valid measure of intelligence in this thread, anyone care to explain why the group with the lowest average IQ in the US votes 95% Democrat?

They can't be that dumb I guess?