The Relationship Between Cognitive and Emotional Abilities and Ideological Attitudes Among Adolescents

Abstract

ObjectiveA large number of studies—usually based on samples of adults—have revealed a negative relationship between cognitive abilities and right‐wing ideological attitudes. Recently, this relationship has been claimed to be weaker among adolescents.MethodWe administered data in a sample of adolescents (N = 531) who completed a full cognitive abilities test, as well as a number of abridged, performance‐based emotional abilities tests. We also administered Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), and Left‐Wing Authoritarianism (LWA).ResultsThe results revealed the relationships that mirror the pattern obtained in adult samples, both among middle (age 17 or younger) and late adolescents (age 18 or older). Specifically, the relationship between cognitive abilities and ideological attitudes emerged with a similar magnitude. Not only did the analyses reaffirm previous studies with regard to the relationships for RWA and SDO, but we also revealed meaningful relationships for LWA. Moreover, emotional abilities bore out even stronger relationships than cognitive abilities.ConclusionsThe present results thus show that the relationships between cognitive and emotional abilities on the one hand and ideological attitudes on the other hand also apply to adolescents. We discuss the need to better understand the development of ideological attitudes throughout childhood and adolescence.