Overlapping measures of NPI and affective polarization make testing their theorized causal link impossible.

Evidence

An additional source of conceptual and empirical confusion comes from the fact that some of the current operationalizations employed for NPI partly overlap with those that are commonly used to operationalize the related but yet distinct phenomenon of affective partisan polarization (AP), i.e., “view[ing] opposing parti­ sans negatively and copartisans positively” (Iyengar and Westwood 2015, p. 691) or “hostil­ ity between rival political partisans” (Huddy and Yair 2021, p. 1). As discussed by Russo et al. (2023) PPI is considered to be one of the causes of AP, as intergroup attitudes are deeply rooted in people’s social identities (see for instance Abramowitz and Webster 2016; Webster 2018; Iyengar et al. 2019; Ridge 2020). If we accept that NPI is specular to PPI, then we need to consider it as a driver of AP, as we do with PPI. However, as several of the current measurements of AP and NPI often overlap, this is de facto empirically impossible. — Sabrina J. Mayer and Luana Russo, What one is not, 11

Categorization

• QUESTION: The confound claim — that NPI measures overlap AP measures so badly the causal direction can’t be tested — is worth chasing: which items exactly collapse the two constructs?
• XREF: connects to: Causal and measurement hypotheses cannot be tested simultaneously. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts: A User’s Guide, 906; Correlated scales can reveal tautological overlap rather than real psychological connections. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 522; Polarization research distinguishes idea-based from affective polarization — Didier Caluwaerts et al., Deliberation and Polarization: A…, 87 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Causal and measurement hypotheses cannot be tested simultaneously. #expands (0.85) — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 906
• Measurement and validity are causal concepts, not correlational ones #qualifies (0.80) — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 335
• Correlated scales can reveal tautological overlap rather than real psychological connections. #expands (0.78) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 522
• Weakest-link measures embed an untested necessary-and-sufficient hypothesis. #expands (0.76) — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 454
• Polarization research distinguishes idea-based from affective polarization #qualifies (0.72) — Didier Caluwaerts et al., Deliberation and Polarization, 87