Psychological research on when and whether attitudes change suggests no … well, maybe … and yes. It’s complicated, but it’s clear that the questions members of Congress ask in the upcoming impeachment hearings, how they ask them and the responses they elicit from witnesses can have at least some effect on the level of political will for impeachment and for Trump’s reelection—and on the future of our union.

First, the no. Political polling research suggests that about 33 percent of the voting public is currently locked in when it comes to their attitudes about President Donald Trump; those people are very unlikely to change their minds. Specifically, about 25 percent of conservatives and about 8 percent of progressives have their heads down and are going nowhere. Public hearings will simply be discounted as propaganda by strong conservatives, or will otherwise reinforce more partisan progressives’ original feelings and beliefs.

This happens for different reasons, but a key element is the vicious cycle between holding strong attitudes on an issue and something called “selective perception.” Essentially, the stronger your views are on an issue like Trump’s impeachment, the more likely you are to attend more carefully to information that supports your views and to ignore or disregard information that contradicts them. Consuming more belief-consistent information will, in turn, increase your original support or disapproval for impeachment, which just fortifies your attitudes. So, no, not much change will be seen in the minds of the 33 percent.