Ummid Assistant

Indian students in Germany need not pay to study: Envoy

Microsoft offers tech courses to Indian academia

Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » Science & Technology

Tricks to moderate peoples' behaviour

Monday November 12, 2012 10:09:25 AM, IANS

Washington: There's a little understood way to influence people and make them feel greater empathy -- just slow down their responses by getting them to struggle a little with the manner in which they receive information.

That's the finding of researchers at the University of Illinois.

Liberals and conservatives who don't see eye to eye seem to mellow down while reading arguments in a difficult-to-read font, suggests the new finding.

Similarly, people with a bias for or against a defendant in a mock trial are less likely to act on the bias if they have to struggle to read the evidence against him, says Jesse Preston, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, who conducted the study with graduate student Ivan Hernandez.

The new research is one of two studies to show that subtle manipulations that affect how people take in information can reduce political polarisation, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology reports.

By asking participants to read an overtly political argument about capital punishment in a challenging font, researchers sought to disrupt participants' usual attitudes to the subject, says Hernandez, according to an Illinois statement.

Liberals and conservatives who read the argument in an easy-to-read font were much more polarised on the subject than those who had to slog through the difficult version.

In a separate experiment, people were shown documents that praised or criticized the behaviour of a defendant in a mock trial before they saw the (rather sketchy) evidence against him.

As expected, those who read an unflattering account of the defendant's character were much more likely to convict him than those who read a more complimentary report. The two sides were far apart on their assessment of the evidence.

"But when people read a difficult-to-read summary of the evidence, then they became more moderate. We showed that if we can slow people down, if we can make them stop relying on their gut reaction... it can make them more moderate; it can have them start doubting their initial beliefs and start seeing the other side of the argument a little bit more," Hernandez said.


 





 


 

Home | Top of the Page

Comments

Note: By posting your comments here you agree to the terms and conditions of www.ummid.com

Comments powered by DISQUS

i

I

More Headlines

Social media explosion in US election

Russia to help exhume Arafat's remains

15 held for leaking exam papers with mobiles

Don't meddle in Sikh affairs, Akali Dal warns Congress

China to become largest robot consumer

Three more Maharashtra farmers end life

Sania was a great singles talent, says Sharapova

'Nearly half of Indian men with erectile dysfunction are diabetic'

Eight MIM legislators including Owaisi arrested, tension over temple

Digital signature for mobile to become reality in India

'Aakash' maker among Forbes' 15 classroom revolutionaries

'Aakash' maker among Forbes' 15 classroom revolutionaries

 

Top Stories

Eight MIM legislators including Owaisi arrested, tension over temple

Tension prevailed in the old city of Hyderabad Sunday following the arrest of eight legislators of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) when   »

Tension in Hyderabad after BJP's anti-MIM rally

Court orders status quo on temple abutting Charminar

 

  Most Read

'Breaking news syndrome hinders fight against terrorism'

Mehta said that the on-going trend in the media for producing a "breaking news" by sensationalizing events often results in the "arrests of innocent people", which does not help  »

Do you feel the pain of Indian Muslims, Mr. Prime Minister

Stop victimisation of Muslim youths: Delhi convention on Politics of Terror

'Nearly half of Indian men with erectile dysfunction are diabetic'

Diabetes is emerging as a leading cause of erectile dysfunction among Indian men. A recent study says that nearly half of Indian men above the age of 40 years suffering from the condition are diabetic. The study conducted by Alpha One Andrology Group - an association of doctors  »

 

  News Pick

Over 87,000 sign petition for Nobel Prize for Malala

More than 87,000 people have signed a global petition calling for Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, campaigners  »

24 kids die of Japanese Encephalitis in Odisha

At least 24 children have died from mosquito-borne Japanese Encephalitis in Odisha's Malkangiri district, an official said Saturday. A team of experts visited the affected area a few days ago and collected about 70 samples   »

From outer space, Makkah and Madinah outshine other cities: Russian astronauts

Three Russian astronauts who visited the Prince Salman Science Oasis (PSSO) this week told Saudi students that the brightest and beautiful cities they saw - while taking a picture  »

A backward community with high profile ministers

Muslim voters have stopped believing this kind of ‘facial’ and ‘make-up’. They know it well that Salman Khurshid, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Farooq Abdullah  »

 

Picture of the Day

Obama supporters cheered during an election night watch party in Chicago, Illinois, as results favouring the incumbent trickled in.

(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

 

Recommend the story to your friends

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

RSS  |  Contact us

 

| Quick links

News

 

Subscribe to

Ummid Assistant

 

National

Science & Technology

RSS

Scholarships

About us

International

Health

Twitter

Government Schemes

Feedback

Regional

History

Facebook

Education

Register

Politics

Opinion

Newsletter

Contact us

Business

The Funny Side

Education & Career

     

 

 

Ummid.com: Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Advertise with us | Link Exchange

Ummid.com is part of the Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and conditions mentioned.

© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.