Can we really be sure about the causal relationship? Maybe the respondents realized that their political views are being studied and reacted differently? #19
I'm thinking that since respondents were asked about their political views, maybe they realized that the study was trying to see whether their views can be changed by exposure to opposing views, and consciously or subconsciously resisted that (for psychological reasons such as they don't want to be manipulated, or they became extra aware of their own political views, etc.) by adjusting to the opposite direction.
It's like if your parents tell you why eating vegetables is good, you might feel rebellious and not comply. But if you're just exposed to the benefits of vegetables from (perceived)neutral sources and didn't think that you're being told to do things, you might actually comply.
If that effect is large enough, it may actually reverse the direction of the effects revealed by the experiment.
zhangxiang0822
commented
6 years ago
I'm thinking that since respondents were asked about their political views, maybe they realized that the study was trying to see whether their views can be changed by exposure to opposing views, and consciously or subconsciously resisted that (for psychological reasons such as they don't want to be manipulated, or they became extra aware of their own political views, etc.) by adjusting to the opposite direction.
It's like if your parents tell you why eating vegetables is good, you might feel rebellious and not comply. But if you're just exposed to the benefits of vegetables from (perceived)neutral sources and didn't think that you're being told to do things, you might actually comply.
If that effect is large enough, it may actually reverse the direction of the effects revealed by the experiment.