Identity protective cognition (IPC)

Identity protective cognition (IPC) is the tendency for people to unconsciously favor beliefs and opinions that align with their social identity, especially when challenged. This can lead to people prioritizing their group affiliation and self-concept over objective evidence. IPC is also known as motivated reasoning.

• Information processing IPC suggests that people reject information that conflicts with their group’s beliefs, not just their own. 
• Social identity IPC is proposed as an explanation for the “white male effect”, where white men tend to fear risks less than minorities and women. 
• Group affiliation IPC suggests that people process information in a way that supports their preferred social organization. 
• Cognitive bias IPC is a cognitive bias that can prevent people from perceiving what’s true. 
• Countering IPC Some say that countering IPC requires providing accurate information and protecting science communication from social meanings that mix competing understandings of fact with cultural identities. 

Yale Law Yale Law and Psychology Professor Dan Kahan studies IPC, risk perceptions, and science communication