Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chairperson

Lia O'Brien, PhD

Committee Member

Jodi McKibben, PhD

Committee Member

Geeta Shivde, PhD

Abstract

The intent of the study was to examine contributing factors to political bias, in particular the role of cognitive reflection. I hypothesized that in an explicitly partisan context, cognitive reflection would be predictive of greater bias.

Participants completed the cognitive reflection test (CRT). They then read a prompt claiming that people with either conservative or liberal beliefs tended to score higher on the CRT, using either explicitly partisan (e.g., "Medicare for All") or relatively neutral language (e.g., "low-cost health insurance.") After reading this prompt, they were asked whether they believe the CRT is a valid measure of reflective ability. Participants also completed a measure of their political affiliation.

Political affiliation was not an effective predictor of cognitive reflection, i.e., neither liberals nor conservatives were inherently more reflective. The interaction effect between CRT scores and the use of partisan language was greater than the individual effect of partisan language alone, suggesting that people with higher levels of cognitive reflection reacted more strongly.

Final Version Confirmation

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