Abstract
<p>Disagreements often feel threatening, leading people to respond defensively, which can intensify both attitude and social polarization. High-quality listening is a key strategy thought to reduce polarization in these interactions, but this type of listening is rarely employed when disagreeing partners converse, and little is known about how to encourage it. To address this gap, we tested whether conversational goals, specifically, adopting goals to learn about one’s conversational partner versus a goal to persuade one’s conversational partner, can improve high quality listening and, in turn, reduce attitude and social polarization during disagreements. We hypothesized that learning goals foster perceptions of high-quality listening behaviors, which in turn increase partners’ psychological safety, promote open-mindedness, and ultimately reduce polarization. We conducted a large, preregistered experiment across four sites (Israel, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S.; Total N = 1407). Using live dyadic conversations between strangers who disagreed on a focal topic, we manipulated one participant’s conversational goal and assessed both partners’ experiences. The goal manipulation did not influence perceived listening quality or polarization outcomes in any sample. However, preregistered path analyses provided consistent support across the four labs for the listening-to-depolarization portion of the hypothesized model: Perceived listening quality positively predicted increased psychological safety, which in turn predicted increased open-mindedness and many of the assessed indicators of polarization. The findings highlighted both the need for, and the difficulty of, encouraging high-quality listening during disagreements, with implications for understanding and improving polarization.</p>