Moderate left thinkers show more flexible reasoning than either conservatives or radicals.

Evidence

This value pluralism model of the relation between cognitive style and ideology has two noteworthy advantages. First, it explains why several studies have found that advocates of moderate left-wing causes interpret issues in more flexible, multidimensional ways than advocates of conservative or right-wing causes. The traditional ideologue hypothesis, which emphasizes deviation from a vaguely defined political center, is hard pressed to explain these findings. Second, the value pluralism model specifies how far to the sociopolitical left one must go for integrative complexity to fall off: to the point at which concern for equality consistently dominates concern for individual rights and liberties (radical socialists, communists). — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2291

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to the ideological asymmetry hypothesis in liberal-conservative cognitive differences literature.