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Two experiments demonstrate that highly empathetic messages conveyed by a political candidate produce more favorable attitudes and increase the likelihood individuals will vote for the political candidate. Study 1 revealed this Empathetic Communication Effect is stronger among female political candidates than male. Compared to male candidates, female candidates are evaluated more positively when they engage in empathetic language but are more harshly penalized when they fail to display empathy. An analogous pattern emerged for candidate party in Study 2. Namely, the Empathetic Communication Effect is stronger among Democratic political candidates than Republican political candidates. Results also explore the impact of empathetic rhetoric on perceptions of candidates' socio-emotionality and instrumentality.

Two experiments demonstrate that highly empathetic messages conveyed by a political candidate produce more favorable attitudes and increase the likelihood individuals will vote for the political candidate. Study 1 revealed this Empathetic Communication Effect is stronger among female political candidates than male. Compared to male candidates, female candidates are evaluated more positively when they engage in empathetic language but are more harshly penalized when they fail to display empathy. An analogous pattern emerged for candidate party in Study 2. Namely, the Empathetic Communication Effect is stronger among Democratic political candidates than Republican political candidates. Results also explore the impact of empathetic rhetoric on perceptions of candidates' socio-emotionality and instrumentality. ; peerReviewed ; publishedVersion

Voters typically evaluate an attractive candidate more favorably than an (otherwise equivalent) unattractive candidate. However, some voters "correct" for the biasing influence of physical appearance. This reduces, eliminates, or even reverses the physical attractiveness effect. Correction occurs when political experts evaluate a political candidate under nondistracting conditions. Under these "high cognitive capacity" conditions, voters primarily correct for physical unattractiveness. However, correction fails to occur when voters possess low levels of expertise or are distracted. Thus, in most circumstances, attractive candidates are evaluated more favorably than unattractive candidates. Two experiments provide support for this model of appearance‐based candidate evaluation.

Um den Gebrauch von Stereotypen bei Urteilen über politische Kandidaten zu prüfen, wurden drei Studien durchgeführt. Die erste Studie demonstriert den Effekt von physischer Attraktivität auf die Beurteilung eines Kandidaten, wenn keine anderen entscheidungsrelevanten Informationen verfügbar sind. Es zeigt sich, daß diese dann einen substantiellen Einfluß auf die Persönlichkeitseinschätzung hat. Daraus werden sowohl Schlußfolgerungen über persönliche Qualitäten und die politische Ideologie gezogen. Die weiteren Studien prüften den Zusammenhang von Attraktivität, Parteizugehörigkeit und persönlichen Standpunkten des Kandidaten. Hierbei übt die Attraktivität einen geringeren Einfluß aus. Sollten die Beteiligten nur einen Kandidaten einschätzen, verließen sie sich auf seine politische Vergangenheit und seinen Ruf. Bei der Entscheidung zwischen zwei Kandidaten ist dagegen die Parteizugehörigkeit entscheidender. (psz)

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Tables and Figures -- Acknowledgments -- I Interdisciplinary Cross-Fertilization -- I. An Overview of the Field of Political Psychology -- 2. The Poly-Psy Relationship: Three Phases of a Long Affair -- 3. Psychohistory and Political Psychology: A Comparative Analysis -- II Attitudes and Behavior -- 4. Political Perception -- 5. Symbolic Politics: A Socio-Psychological Theory -- 6. Nonverbal Behavior and Leadership: Emotion and Cognition in Political Information Processing -- 7. The Psychology of Group Conflict and the Dynamics of Oppression: A Social Dominance Perspective -- III Information Processing and Cognition -- 8. Inside the Mental Voting Booth: An Impression-Driven Process Model of Candidate Evaluation -- 9. Political Information Processing -- 10. Affect and Political Judgment -- IV Decision Making and Choice -- 11. Information and Electoral Attitudes: A Case of Judgment Under Uncertainty -- 12. The Drunkard's Search -- 13. Decision Making in Presidential Primaries -- 14. Cognitive Structural Analysis of Political Rhetoric: Methodological and Theoretical Issues -- References -- Index -- Contributors