The researchers found conservatives, more than liberals, tend to refer to things by names, instead of describing them in terms of features.

Examples of this would be saying someone is an idealist rather than describing them as idealistic, or that someone is a pessimist rather than calling them pessimistic.

If you describe someone as 'a homosexual' you're more likely to be conservative, while calling someone 'homosexual' - without the 'a' - makes you more liberal.

This use of nouns, rather than adjectives, is thought to preserve stability, familiarity and tradition, all of which appear to be valued more highly by conservatives than liberals.