Liberal Arts Symposium: Christopher Holton
Differential Motivations of Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation and their Relation to War and Perceptions of Threat

1. Why did you choose this topic?

I chose to do a research project on right-wing authoritarianism, social-dominance orientation, and perceptions of threat because the research was with Professor Dunwoody. I did not have a particular interest in doing political psychology research, however, I had Dr. Dunwoody for a couple of classes, and thought he would be a good professor to get some research experience with.

2. How did you feel this experience has helped you as a student?

I think that presenting this poster in front of students and faculty allowed me to discuss other opinions of students and faculty on the subject. Also, explaining my poster to others allowed me to became more knowledgeable on the subject and become better at explaining new concepts to people.

3. What is the most interesting aspect of your research?

The most interesting aspect of my research is that I was able to see the perceptions and beliefs of students at Juniata on important issues such as the War in Iraq and the War on Terror.

4. How do you feel your research will illuminate the topic and/or benefit society?

This research will benefit society because it shows how individuals form opinions. The research provides important feedback on how people form opinions on ideas of war and society in general. This research also provides reasons as to why individuals support leaders and support war.

Christopher Bender ’10, Juniata Online Journalist