While political polarization in the United States is real, intense and increasing, partisans consistently overestimate its magnitude. This “false polarization” is insidious because it reinforces actual polarization and inhibits compromise. We review empirical research on false polarization and the related phenomenon of negative meta-perceptions, and we propose three cognitive and affective processes that likely contribute to these phenomena: categorical thinking, oversimplification and emotional amplification. Finally, we review several interventions that have shown promise in mitigating these biases.

中文翻译：

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错误极化：认知机制和潜在解决方案。

虽然美国的政治两极分化是真实的、激烈的和日益加剧的，但游击队一直高估其规模。这种“错误的两极分化”是阴险的，因为它强化了实际的两极分化并抑制了妥协。我们回顾了关于错误极化和负面元认知相关现象的实证研究，并提出了可能导致这些现象的三种认知和情感过程：分类思维、过度简化和情绪放大。最后，我们回顾了几种在减轻这些偏见方面显示出希望的干预措施。