Cambridge Political Psychology Lab

The graph above from the MHP Polarization Tracker (see Projects), clearly illustrates the extent of volatility in contemporary politics. The Cambridge Political Psychology Lab attempts to apply methods and insights from psychology to understand real world political decision making, with a particular focus on political polarization. This includes the study of the cognitive processes that shape political belief updating, computational studies of the structure of political beliefs, longitudinal studies of political polarization, and experimental studies that explore how different framings can impact political decision making. The lab is focused on the empirical study of individual voters, but also seeks to understand how individual psychological processes are shaped by different in the political systems, and the health of the media environment within which people are making decisions. We also do a small amount of work on the psychology of politicians and policy makers, particularly on the assumptions and perceptions they have of the general public. The immediate goal of the research program is to put psychological theory and methods to the test in this complex real-world domain. The longer-term ambition is to help us to think about how the democratic progress can be improved through a better understanding of human psychology.