Research work · 1987
Political Socialization's Primacy Principle: A Biosocial Critique
Albert Somit, Steven A. Peterson
International Political Science Review
Abstract
The primacy principle of political socialization claims that those political orientations that are learned early persist and shape later political learning. A survey of literature produces little empirical support for the principle. Furthermore, both the Piagetian cognitive development framework and Kagan's developmental perspective raise questions about the theoretical underpinnings of the primacy principle.