SDT converts vague ideology claims into empirically testable mediational hypotheses

Evidence

While the ideas of Marx, Gramsci, Pareto, Mosca, and Moscovici all suggest that ideology justifies group dominance, these ideas provide us with no empirical standard for testing whether any given ideology actually does so in any given situation. In contrast, the notion of mediation provides us with a relatively crisp empirical standard by which to judge whether a given ideology or belief is functioning as an LM. Namely, a given belief, attitude, opinion, or attribution can be classified as an LM if and only if it is found to have a mediational relationship between the desire for groupbased social dominance, on the one hand, and support for hierarchy-enhancing or hierarchy-attenuating social policy on the other hand. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3227

Categorization

• XREF: The reader’s SocialCapital creation work centers on positional/institutional arguments; this ‘operationalizing Marx’ move parallels how Coleman operationalized trust. — connects to: Mediation analysis gives an empirical test for ideology’s legitimizing function — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3227; Research scales can be framed to test hypotheses about ideology — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1001; Empirical testing can resolve ideologically loaded psychological questions — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 90 (+2 more)
• DEFINE: Defines the falsifiability standard for ‘legitimizing myth’ via mediational testing — the theory’s distinctive method.

Broader Connections

• Mediation analysis gives an empirical test for ideology’s legitimizing function #expands (0.88) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3227
• Distinct psychological theories make testable rival predictions about ideology and cognitive complexity #exemplifies (0.82) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2293
• Empirical testing can resolve ideologically loaded psychological questions #expands (0.80) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 90
• Research scales can be framed to test hypotheses about ideology #expands (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1001
• Ideological style is measurable via abstraction, deduction, named doctrine, and utopia reference #exemplifies (0.75) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2318