Attitude polarization

Biological Parallel

When two wolf packs encounter ambiguous territorial evidence (overlapping scent marks), each interprets it as invasion rather than boundary ambiguity. Confronting the same evidence, both sides polarize—interpreting neutral signals as hostile. The mechanism: intergroup conflict primes threat detection; ambiguity defaults to 'enemy action.' Mixed evidence doesn't moderate attitudes; it amplifies them because each group cherry-picks confirming cues. Polarization is the equilibrium when distrust is mutual and evidence is noisy.