- Project value (in PLN):
49710
ongoing
Online interactions and their potential to reinforce social polarization: direct and conceptual replication of research on the uncongeniality bias
principal investigator / project leader
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
project value: PLN 49,710
funding source: National Science Center
discipline: psychology, social sciences
location: Wrocław
duration: 2024 2025
The goal of the project is to investigate whether participating in online discussions can deepen polarization.
The project is financed by Poland’s National Science Center, from the MINIATURA funding scheme, project number 2024/08/X/HS6/00935.
Project objectives
The goal of the project is to conduct a replication of the latest significant research in the field of psychological polarization. This planned replication is meant to serve as the foundation for an original line of research on polarization, while also providing an opportunity to develop and test research tools for future use.
The project involves the replication of two studies featured in the article "Online Interaction Turns the Congeniality Bias Into an Uncongeniality Bias," published in 2023 in the journal Psychological Science (Buder et al., 2023). Despite being published in September 2023, the paper had already garnered 6 citations at the time this grant application was prepared (June 2024). Combined with the prestige of the journal itself, this indicates its future significance.
Psychological polarization occurs when we, as a society, begin to divide into increasingly separate and divergent camps. These camps coalesce around shared socio-political opinions, reinforcing faith in their own beliefs while often becoming radicalized and fostering hostility toward the opposing side. In a series of studies, I plan to investigate whether participating in online discussions can deepen polarization.
Izydorczak, Kamil
Principal Investigator
Specialization
social psychologist
First and last name
Kamil Izydorczak
Academic degree or title
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Email
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Institute
Institute of Psychology
Role in the Faculty
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Role in the Institute
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Role in the Department
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Role in the Research Center
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Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Kamil Izydorczaksocial psychologist
Methodology
The research will replicate Studies 2 and 3 as detailed in the article. The replication will be carried out in two stages:
- Direct Replication: The researcher will perform a direct replication using the original materials provided by the authors. This stage will utilize the same language (German) and a sample with similar demographic characteristics, while increasing the statistical power of the tests.
- Conceptual Replication: The researcher will conduct a conceptual replication of the studies in an attempt to broaden the generalizability of the findings. This will account for the different cultural characteristics of the participants (residents of Poland) and involve modifying the topics of the controversial content with which they are confronted.
Practical application of results
The replication of the aforementioned research findings may be pivotal for the further development of polarization theory in online environments. Should the results prove to be highly replicable and generalizable, it would, first and foremost, provide a significant contribution to the empirically and theoretically established knowledge regarding the congeniality bias and the related confirmation bias. Secondly, researchers would gain a solid foundation for constructing theoretical predictions and interpretations concerning the phenomena of attitude formation and online discourse.