The article "The Radical Flank: Curse or Blessing of a Social Movement?" by Sophia T. Dasch, Millicent Bellm, Eric Shuman, and Martijn van Zomeren explores the impact of radical flank tactics on public support for moderate and radical activists. The study uses two experimental studies to investigate how the presence of a radical flank influences public perception and support for protest movements in the UK and the US. Participants read articles about protest groups using either nonviolent, violent, or mixed tactics, and their reactions were measured. Key findings include: 1. **Public Support**: The presence of a radical flank increased support for moderate groups (Study 1) and decreased support for radical groups (Study 2). 2. **Identification**: Participants identified more with moderate groups when they were contrasted with radical groups (Study 1), but this effect was not significant in Study 2. 3. **Contextual Moderation**: The strength of these effects was moderated by participants' sympathy for the movement's cause. Sympathetic participants were more sensitive to the tactics used by activists. The study suggests that the contrast between moderate and radical groups can influence public perception and support, with moderate groups benefiting from the contrast and radical groups losing support. The findings have implications for understanding how social movements can effectively engage public support and the role of radical tactics in these processes.The article "The Radical Flank: Curse or Blessing of a Social Movement?" by Sophia T. Dasch, Millicent Bellm, Eric Shuman, and Martijn van Zomeren explores the impact of radical flank tactics on public support for moderate and radical activists. The study uses two experimental studies to investigate how the presence of a radical flank influences public perception and support for protest movements in the UK and the US. Participants read articles about protest groups using either nonviolent, violent, or mixed tactics, and their reactions were measured. Key findings include: 1. **Public Support**: The presence of a radical flank increased support for moderate groups (Study 1) and decreased support for radical groups (Study 2). 2. **Identification**: Participants identified more with moderate groups when they were contrasted with radical groups (Study 1), but this effect was not significant in Study 2. 3. **Contextual Moderation**: The strength of these effects was moderated by participants' sympathy for the movement's cause. Sympathetic participants were more sensitive to the tactics used by activists. The study suggests that the contrast between moderate and radical groups can influence public perception and support, with moderate groups benefiting from the contrast and radical groups losing support. The findings have implications for understanding how social movements can effectively engage public support and the role of radical tactics in these processes.