Covid-19: France to shut bars and restaurants in hard-hit Marseille

France will order bars and restaurants shut in Marseille and restrict their opening hours in other cities including Paris as part of efforts to stem a continuing rise in the daily number of infections, Health Minister Olivier Véran announced on Wednesday.

Subscribe to France 24 now:

http://f24.my/youtubeEN

FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7

http://f24.my/YTliveEN

Visit our website:

http://www.france24.com

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:

http://f24.my/youtubeEN

Like us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English

Follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/France24_en

‘Mental rigidity’ at root of intense political partisanship on both left and right, study finds

via aleksey godin – New research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more ‘extreme’ beliefs and identities at both ends of the political spectrum. Researchers say that heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies.

Science News
from research organizations


Date:
August 29, 2019
Source:
University of Cambridge
Summary:
New research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more ‘extreme’ beliefs and identities at both ends of the political spectrum. Researchers say that heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies.
Share:
FULL STORY

Road signs as symbols of liberal-conservative divide (stock image). | Credit: © andrii / stock.adobe.com
Road signs as symbols of liberal-conservative divide (stock image).
Road signs as symbols of liberal-conservative divide (stock image). | Credit: © andrii / stock.adobe.com
Road signs as symbols of liberal-conservative divide (stock image).

People who identify more intensely with a political tribe or ideology share an underlying psychological trait: low levels of cognitive flexibility, according to a new study.

advertisement

This “mental rigidity” makes it harder for people to change their ways of thinking or adapt to new environments, say researchers. Importantly, mental rigidity was found in those with the most fervent beliefs and affiliations on both the left and right of the political divide.

The study of over 700 US citizens, conducted by scientists from the University of Cambridge, is the largest — and first for over 20 years — to investigate whether the more politically “extreme” have a certain “type of mind” through the use of objective psychological testing.

The findings suggest that the basic mental processes governing our ability to switch between different concepts and tasks are linked to the intensity with which we attach ourselves to political doctrines — regardless of the ideology.

“Relative to political moderates, participants who indicated extreme attachment to either the Democratic or Republican Party exhibited mental rigidity on multiple objective neuropsychological tests,” said Dr Leor Zmigrod, a Cambridge Gates Scholar and lead author of the study, now published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

“While political animosity often appears to be driven by emotion, we find that the way people unconsciously process neutral stimuli seems to play an important role in how they process ideological arguments.”

“Those with lower cognitive flexibility see the world in more black-and-white terms, and struggle with new and different perspectives. The more inflexible mind may be especially susceptible to the clarity, certainty, and safety frequently offered by strong loyalty to collective ideologies,” she said.

The research is the latest in a series of studies from Zmigrod and her Cambridge colleagues, Dr Jason Rentfrow and Professor Trevor Robbins, on the relationship between ideology and cognitive flexibility.

Their previous work over the last 18 months has suggested that mental rigidity is linked to more extreme attitudes with regards to religiosity, nationalism, and a willingness to endorse violence and sacrifice one’s life for an ideological group.

For the latest study, the Cambridge team recruited 743 men and women of various ages and educational backgrounds from across the political spectrum through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform.

Participants completed three psychological tests online: a word association game, a card-sorting test — where colours, shapes and numbers are matched according to shifting rules — and an exercise in which participants have a two-minute window to imagine possible uses for everyday objects.

“These are established and standardized cognitive tests which quantify how well individuals adapt to changing environments and how flexibly their minds process words and concepts,” said Zmigrod.

The participants were also asked to score their feelings towards various divisive social and economic issues — from abortion and marriage to welfare — and the extent of “overlap” between their personal identity and the US Republican and Democrat parties.

Zmigrod and colleagues found that “partisan extremity” — the intensity of participants’ attachment to their favoured political party — was a strong predictor of rigidity in all three cognitive tests. They also found that self-described Independents displayed greater cognitive flexibility compared to both Democrats and Republicans.

Other cognitive traits, such as originality or fluency of thought, were not related to heightened political partisanship, which researchers argue suggests the unique contribution of cognitive inflexibility.

“In the context of today’s highly divided politics, it is important we work to understand the psychological underpinnings of dogmatism and strict ideological adherence,” said Zmigrod.

“The aim of this research is not to draw false equivalences between different, and sometimes opposing, ideologies. We want to highlight the common psychological factors that shape how people come to hold extreme views and identities,” said Zmigrod.

“Past studies have shown that it is possible to cultivate cognitive flexibility through training and education. Our findings raise the question of whether heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies, and even develop antidotes to radicalization.”

“While the conservatism and liberalism of our beliefs may at times divide us, our capacity to think about the world flexibly and adaptively can unite us,” she added.

advertisement


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Cambridge. The original story is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Leor Zmigrod, Peter Jason Rentfrow, Trevor W. Robbins. The partisan mind: Is extreme political partisanship related to cognitive inflexibility? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2019; DOI: 10.1037/xge0000661

Cite This Page:

University of Cambridge. “‘Mental rigidity’ at root of intense political partisanship on both left and right, study finds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 August 2019. <https://ift.tt/2Lw3Xu0&gt;.
University of Cambridge. (2019, August 29). ‘Mental rigidity’ at root of intense political partisanship on both left and right, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 7, 2019 from https://ift.tt/2Lw3Xu0
University of Cambridge. “‘Mental rigidity’ at root of intense political partisanship on both left and right, study finds.” ScienceDaily. https://ift.tt/2Lw3Xu0 (accessed September 7, 2019).

advertisement

advertisement

RELATED STORIES

FROM AROUND THE WEB

Below are relevant articles that may interest you. ScienceDaily shares links with scholarly publications in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children – UpToDate

Source: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children – UpToDate

The epidemiology of MIS-C also differs from that of acute COVID-19 illness in children, which tends to be most severe in infants <1 year of age and in children with underlying health problems. (See “Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Clinical manifestations and diagnosis in children”, section on ‘Risk factors for severe disease’.)

The first report of MIS-C was a series of eight children seen at a tertiary center in South East England [3]. In subsequent larger case series from the UK and the United States , >70 percent of affected children were previously healthy [12,21]. The most common comorbidities were obesity and asthma. The median age was 8 to 11 years (range 1 to 20 years).

The risk of developing MIS-C appears to vary by race and ethnicity, with Black and Hispanic children accounting for a disproportionally high number of cases, and Asian children accounting for a small number of cases. In three large case series, 25 to 45 percent of patients were Black, 30 to 40 percent Hispanic, 15 to 25 percent white, and 3 to 28 percent Asian [12,15,21].

Destruição da mineração de ouro na floresta amazônica -“Quando você corta as árvores, agride os espíritos de nossos ancestrais. Ao procurar minerais, você perfura o coração da Terra…”

Destruction of gold mining in the Amazon rainforest – “When you cut down the trees, attack the spirits of our ancestors. When looking for minerals, you pierce the heart of the Earth… ”

Barbara Crane Navarro

Foto: Destruição por minas de ouro na floresta amazônica
“Garimpeiros destroem a floresta” – desenho no papel – Wacayowë Yanomami

“Quando você corta as árvores, agride os espíritos de nossos ancestrais. Ao procurar minerais, você perfura o coração da Terra. E quando você derrama venenos na terra e nos rios, produtos químicos agrícolas e mercúrio das minas de ouro, você enfraquece os espíritos, plantas, animais e a própria terra. Quando você enfraquece a terra assim, ela começa a morrer. Se a terra morrer, se a nossa Terra morrer, nenhum de nós será capaz de viver e também morreremos.” – cacique Raoni Metuktire

A febre de ouro, COVID-19 e o genocídio Yanomami – atualizado


View original post

Never has campus PC been more out of control

Oh, and DeSantis’s proposed legislation would a permanently deny state employment to people who are convicted of “participating in” a “violent or disorderly assembly,” and denies bail for people arrested for participating in one before their first court appearance. Deep down in hell Joe McCarthy is smiling.

Remember when crackpot authoritarian blogger and law professor Glenn Reynolds urged his followers to run over protestors? Well, the governor of the nation’s third largest state would like to make this nice and legal:

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed legislation that he described as “bold” on Monday. Judging by the plain text of the proposal and the responses to it, bold is an understatement.

Under the “new criminal offenses” section established by the would-be Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act, DeSantis declared it a third-degree felony to obstruct traffic during an “unpermitted protest, demonstration or violent or disorderly assembly.” Notably, the next clause purports to remove liability for injury or death a driver causes if that driver is “fleeing for safety from a mob.

[…]

DeSantis’s legislation would also criminalize the destruction of monuments and purports to to attach racketeering liability to “anyone who organizes or funds a violent or disorderly assembly.” DeSantis also seeks mandatory minimum sentences for striking law enforcement officers.

The nuttiest ideas of the dimmest trolls on the intarwebs can become legislative proposals by governors in less than five years. What a country!

Oh, and DeSantis’s proposed legislation would a permanently deny state employment to people who are convicted of “participating in” a “violent or disorderly assembly,” and denies bail for people arrested for participating in one before their first court appearance. Deep down in hell Joe McCarthy is smiling.

Battle Rages Inside Hospitals Over How COVID Strikes and Kills | Kaiser Health News

Source: Battle Rages Inside Hospitals Over How COVID Strikes and Kills | Kaiser Health News

Surveys across the country show there’s still a shortage of personal protective equipment at many health care facilities.

The CDC guidance posted Friday would have put pressure on some hospitals to bolster their protective measures, something they have reportedly resisted. It said the virus can spread when a person sings, talks or breathes.

“These particles can be inhaled into the nose, mouth, airways, and lungs and cause infection,” the site said. “This is thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has been taking so-called airborne precautions from the start. There, Dr. James Lawler, a physician and director of the Global Center for Health Security at the university, said his colleagues documented that the virus can drift in the air and live on surfaces at an extensive distance from patients.

He said the hospital tests all admitted patients for the virus and keeps COVID-19 patients apart from the general population. He said they pay close attention to cleaning shared spaces and monitoring airflow within the restricted-access unit. Workers also had N95 respirators or PAPRS, which are fitted hoods with filtered air pumped in.

All of it has added up to a “very low” rate of health care worker infections.

President Trump Continues to Be a Racist, Upholds Ban on Race Discrimination Training

On Tuesday, President Trump extended his ban on race sensitivity and sex-based discrimination training because the president is a serial sexual assaulter who is also a raging racist. q9e8c4z9r4mml646rmgq.jpg

On Tuesday, President Trump extended his ban on race sensitivity and sex-based discrimination training because the president is a serial sexual assaulter who is also a raging racist.

Read more…

NYC Scrambles To Contain “Ocean Parkway Cluster” Of COVID-19 In South Brooklyn

Pedestrian watches as Eli Brach, right, owner of Brachsoni, which specializes in the sale of men's white shirts, raises the protective shutter on his store, in Borough Park.

Pedestrian watches as Eli Brach, right, owner of Brachsoni, which specializes in the sale of men’s white shirts, raises the protective shutter on his store, in Borough Park.

In one of the highest positivity rates seen in months, 4.71% of tests performed in the neighborhoods of Midwood, Borough Park and Bensonhurst have come back positive in recent weeks. [ more › ]

Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

Baldacchino di Perla

"Luce di parole, ombra di sogni."

Northern Desert Photography

Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Susana Cabaço

Spiritual Insights & Personal Empowerment

Barbara Picci

Artist & Art Blogger

craft journey

Furnicraft, woodwork, and art

musings corner

reveries and rants

Japão para Românticos

Bem Vindos a este espaço onde compartilhamos um pouco da realidade do Japão à todos aqueles que desejam visitar ou morar no Japão. Aqui neste espaço, mostramos a realidade do Japão e dos imigrantes. O nosso compromisso é com a realidade. Fique por dentro do noticiário dos principais jornais japoneses, tutoriais de Faça você mesmo no Japão e acompanhe a Série Histórias de Imigrantes no Japão. Esperamos que goste de nossos conteúdos, deixe seu like, seu comentário, compartilhe e nos ajudar você e à outras pessoas. Grande abraço, gratidão e volte sempre!

Leben als Mensch

Willkommen auf Elke´s Glücks-Blog

Sharpshot Nature .Com

- Specializing in the great outdoors, capturing nature at its finest!

Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss education and democracy

Expansão e Percepção

Seu Guia de Inspirações e Reflexões Diárias

noga noga.

my-health-and-beauty.com/

Uğurcan'ın Ütopyası

Benim Gezegenime Hoş geldiniz !!!

AKILS

Blog de viajes y lugares

Ed Mooney Photography

The official blog of Ed Mooney Photography. Dad of 3, Photographer, Blogger, Powerlifter. Exploring the historical sites of Ireland.

everything Explored on the earth

It has new aidias,news, about education , motivation, social, historical, culture, marketing creation new aidias education of language science culture and history

Born to die

L'unico modo sensato di vivere è senza regole

Early Morning Memories

by Anuran (A) & Sayoni (S)

My thoughts

Fun for the Brain

Neo Vision College

An exemplary learning community.

Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy

Loves, lamentation, and life through prose, stories, passions, and essays.

Episodic Squalid Rants

public tantrums by a non-two-year-old

The Street Art Directory

Public, street and urban art worldwide

Artie & Stu

all the rules of free form

Everyone read that they fell in love first

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2937106805202763" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

davidscottmoyer

Lapsed Painter, Occasional Photographer, Compulsive Writer

Health & Fitness

Health Blogs

Buildings Tell Tales

Exploring the hidden architectural heritage of Budapest

Divit kalem

Yaşamdan

Roy's Weblog

The third incarnation...

Thought Pukes

More than a thought less than a question

"بوصلة الحياة"

"بوصلة الحياة: مدونة متعددة المجالات، من السياسة إلى الرومانسية، ومن تطوير الذات إلى الأدب وأكثر!" بقلم مشاعر بنت عبدالرحمن

parallax

The view from here ... Or here!

ClearingSpace4Joy

Bringer and seeker of joy

Belladonna’s Flashlight

The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40's and Faced Her Demons

~ Trivial Music Silliness ~

Baw wit da baw. Just sayin'.

mo mnsoor blog

Website storys

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Welcome to the Anglo Swiss World

gnaddrig ad libitum

Querbeet und ohne Gewähr

Peace & Truth

KINDNESS IS FREE, sprinkle it all over the world, and 😁 smile

Ética de la vida diaria

Nuestra ética de todos los días...

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing