The closing of open minds: Need for closure moderates the impact of uncertainty salience on outgroup discrimination

Abstract

In three studies, we examined how dispositional need for cognitive closure (NCC) moderates the impact of various types of uncertainty salience (personal and supraliminal in studies 1 and 2; economic and subliminal in Study 3) on implicit attitudes (studies 1 and 3) and explicit discriminatory intentions (Study 2) towards outgroup members. Across all three studies, we found that uncertainty increased discrimination against outgroups among low-NCC individuals but not among high-NCC individuals. High-NCC individuals tended to be more discriminatory irrespective of uncertainty salience. These results suggest that uncertainty salience leads individuals with a low dispositional need for closure to act like those with high need for closure. The implications of the findings for theories about how uncertainty influences social attitudes and intergroup behaviour are discussed.

Need for closure effect on collective action intentions and behavior toward immigrants in Italy: The mediation of binding foundations and political conservatism

“…This opposition, which can quickly become exaggerated by right-wing political rhetoric (Ropeik, 2017;Trilling, 2018), can lead to many forms of anti-immigrant sentiment. We predicted that natives with high levels of need for closure would be less likely to engage in actions in favor of immigrants due to their preference for self-resembling groups (Brizi et al, 2016;Kruglanski et al, 2002Kruglanski et al, , 2006Roets et al, 2015;Shah et al, 1998) and conformity pressures (De Grada et al, 1999;Kruglanski & Webster, 1996). Specifically, a heightened need for closure was expected to be indirectly and negatively associated with collective action in favor of immigrants, sequentially mediated first through binding moral foundations and then political conservatism.…”

“…From a theoretical point of view, the present research advances our understating about reasons why natives oppose immigration. It has been demonstrated that need for closure is associated with negative attitudes toward immigrants (Brizi et al, 2016;Chirumbolo, Areni, & Sensales, 2004). Because high need for closure individuals prefer stable conditions and dislike change (e.g., Kruglanski, Pierro, Higgins, & Capozza, 2007;Livi, Kruglanski, Pierro, Mannetti, & Kenny, 2015), they are more likely to hold negative views toward immigrants who represent agents of change in the host countries.…”

“…Pertinent to that view, previous research showed that a heightened need for closure induces quest for groupness (Brizi, Mannetti, & Kruglanski, 2016;Kruglanski, Shah, Pierro, & Mannetti, 2002;Kruglanski et al, 2006;Roets, Kruglanski, Kossowska, Pierro, & Hong, 2015;Shah, Kruglanski, & Thompson, 1998), which is secured by a cluster of features pertaining to group interaction, including preferences for self-similar groups, pressures to opinion uniformity among in-group members, identification with in-group members, ingroup favoritism, and loyalty to own in-group qualified by the degree to which it constitutes a secure reality provider.…”

“…Whenever these individuals are presented with a question to which they do not have an answer (e.g., “is it worthwhile to help immigrants?”), they turn to the norms within the in‐group and support the conclusion reached by its members (Haidt & Graham, ; Haidt & Joseph, ). Because high need for closure individuals are more likely to endorse the norms and conclusions shared by the in‐group members (Brizi et al, ; Kruglanski et al, , ; Roets et al, ; Shah et al, ), they are more likely to display greater scores on the binding moral foundations as well.…”

“Do I have enough food?” How need for cognitive closure and gender impact stockpiling and food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-national study in India and the United States of America

“…Additionally, as the correlational nature of this study does not allow any causal claim, future research may test the effects on food waste by manipulating the NFC and the level of uncertainty of the situation in a more controlled environment. For example, it would be possible to induce a high NFC by using time pressure ( De Grada et al, 1999 ); feelings of uncertainty ( Brizi et al, 2016 ); or cognitive load ( Chirumbolo et al, 2014 ).…”