In plain language
Does a teenager's intelligence shape the ideological outlook they hold by the time they finish school? This study looked at two well-studied worldviews that underpin prejudice: right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), which reflects social conformity and submission to authority in a world seen as dangerous, and social dominance orientation (SDO), which reflects support for powerful groups dominating weaker ones in a world seen as a competitive jungle.
As part of the Wollongong Youth Study in Australia, 375 students completed standardized verbal and numerical ability tests when they entered high school in Grade 7, and then completed measures of RWA, SDO, Big Five personality, and religious values in Grade 12 — five years later. The researchers tested whether early cognitive ability predicted later ideology even after accounting for personality and religiosity.
Lower general intelligence and lower verbal intelligence in Grade 7 predicted higher right-wing authoritarianism in Grade 12, while social dominance orientation was predicted by lower verbal intelligence only. The findings suggest that the link between intelligence and ideology is driven largely by verbal ability, and that these connections are already forming during the teenage years — well before adulthood.
Key findings
- Grade 7 cognitive ability was measured in 375 adolescents who were followed up five years later in Grade 12, when RWA, SDO, personality, and religious values were assessed.
- After controlling for Big Five personality and religious values, higher right-wing authoritarianism was predicted by lower general intelligence (g; β = -.16) and lower verbal intelligence (β = -.18).
- Social dominance orientation was predicted by lower verbal intelligence only (β = -.13), not by general intelligence, with a marginal positive effect of numerical ability.
- All three intelligence indices correlated negatively with RWA (r = -.19 to -.26): brighter Grade 7 students adopted a more liberal ideological position by Grade 12.
- RWA was positively related to conscientiousness and religious values, whereas SDO was negatively related to agreeableness, conscientiousness, and religious values.
- The results suggest verbal ability — the skills used in argument and narrative — is the key cognitive driver of ideological positions, and that these links form as early as adolescence.
How to cite
APA
Heaven, P. C. L., Ciarrochi, J., & Leeson, P. (2011). Cognitive ability, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation: A five-year longitudinal study amongst adolescents. Intelligence, 39(1), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2010.12.001
BibTeX
@article{heaven2011cognitive,
author = {Heaven, Patrick C. L. and Ciarrochi, Joseph and Leeson, Peter},
title = {Cognitive ability, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation: A five-year longitudinal study amongst adolescents},
journal = {Intelligence},
year = {2011},
volume = {39},
number = {1},
pages = {15--21},
doi = {10.1016/j.intell.2010.12.001}
}
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- All publications by Joseph Ciarrochi (searchable, with free PDFs)
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Author: Joseph Ciarrochi (ORCID 0000-0003-0471-8100). Free copy hosted with permission for scholarly use. Please cite the published version via the DOI above.