Heterogeneity and Certainty in Candidate Evaluations
In: Political behavior, Band 27, Heft 1, S. 1-24
ISSN: 1573-6687
In: Political behavior, Band 27, Heft 1, S. 1-24
ISSN: 1573-6687
This is the author accepted manuscript of an article published in Politics, Groups, and Identities, the publisher's version of the manuscript can be found here 10.1080/21565503.2019.1629317
BASE
In: Politics, Groups, and Identities, Band 9, Heft 3, S. 589-607
ISSN: 2156-5511
In: Political behavior, Band 27, Heft 1, S. 1-24
ISSN: 0190-9320
In: Political psychology: journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, Band 24, Heft 3
ISSN: 0162-895X
The on-line and memory-based processing models of candidate evaluation can be better understood by incorporating the concepts of ambivalence and uncertainty, both as subjective feeling states and as objective properties of information. An experiment was designed to address three questions: What are the relationships between ambivalence and uncertainty? What are the informational foundations of subjective ambivalence and uncertainty, and to what extent are they rooted in on-line (time of exposure) and memory-based (time of judgment) processes? What are the consequences of ambivalence and uncertainty for candidate evaluation? The results suggest that (1) subjective uncertainty is more strongly rooted in information about the candidate than is subjective ambivalence; (2) subjective uncertainty and (to a lesser extent) ambivalence are associated with an increased propensity to engage in memory-based processing; and (3) subjective ambivalence and uncertainty result in more negative evaluations, particularly among less sophisticated people. These results suggest ways in which the on-line and memory-based models might productively be combined. 4 Tables, 79 References. (Original abstract - amended)
In: Electoral Studies, Band 25, Heft 3, S. 467-488
This article argues that in Europe partisanship is best conceptualised in terms of evaluation instead of identification. This follows in part from the fact that the position of partisanship in the funnel of causality differs between parliamentary & presidential systems. Moreover, the conceptualisation proposed (on the basis of the social-psychological notion of attitudes) overcomes various problems associated with the party identification concept. Empirical analyses of four Dutch parliamentary elections indicate that partisanship can then be distinguished meaningfully from vote choice. Although most voters cast a sincere vote, each year discrepancies between party preferences & vote choice were observed. These could be partly accounted for by the impact of candidate evaluations & prospective considerations concerning the future government. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. [Copyright 2005 Elsevier Ltd.]
In: Political psychology: journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, Band 24, Heft 3, S. 421-448
ISSN: 0162-895X
In: Political psychology: journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, Band 24, Heft 3, S. 421-448
ISSN: 1467-9221
The on‐line and memory‐based processing models of candidate evaluation can be better understood by incorporating the concepts of ambivalence and uncertainty, both as subjective feeling states and as objective properties of information. An experiment was designed to address three questions: What are the relationships between ambivalence and uncertainty? What are the informational foundations of subjective ambivalence and uncertainty, and to what extent are they rooted in on‐line (time of exposure) and memory‐based (time of judgment) processes? What are the consequences of ambivalence and uncertainty for candidate evaluation? The results suggest that (1) subjective uncertainty is more strongly rooted in information about the candidate than is subjective ambivalence; (2) subjective uncertainty and (to a lesser extent) ambivalence are associated with an increased propensity to engage in memory‐based processing; and (3) subjective ambivalence and uncertainty result in more negative evaluations, particularly among less sophisticated people. These results suggest ways in which the on‐line and memory‐based models might productively be combined.
In: Journal of women, politics & policy, Band 35, Heft 1, S. 55-77
ISSN: 1554-4788
In: Electoral studies: an international journal, Band 25, Heft 3, S. 467-488
ISSN: 0261-3794
In: Electoral Studies, Band 25, Heft 3, S. 467-488
In: Women & politics, Band 35, Heft 1, S. 55-77
In: Political psychology: journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, Band 32, Heft 2, S. 181-203
ISSN: 1467-9221
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.
In: American journal of political science, Band 48, Heft 3, S. 513-520
ISSN: 1540-5907
Attitude strength is an important, but contested, subject in social psychology. Political scientists often rely on measures of attitude strength such as attitude importance, accessibility, or certainty in their work while ignoring the politically meaningful differences across types of strength. This omission is particularly relevant in the discussion of the formation of candidate evaluations. The research reported here indicates that accessibility is not the relevant type of attitude strength when describing how voters use issues in evaluating candidates. Instead, voters' reliance on issues when evaluating candidates depends on the voter's certainty about where the candidates stand. Given the different antecedents of certainty and accessibility, this result suggests that that citizens are able to more carefully process and use information available to them during an election campaign than would be expected by the prevailing theories of attitude formation.
Following an overview of French presidential elections, their organization, & the issue of candidate information dissemination, the impact of leadership qualities & personal attributes on voting behavior & electoral outcomes is assessed for elections, 1965-1995, drawing on a variety of sources. Much attention is given to the degree to which the constitutional standing of the French presidency promotes strong leadership & how the electoral system proceeds in a manner that directs increasing scrutiny on individual candidates. Analysis of each election indicates that such candidate-centered variables are but one factor among many that influence outcomes. In general, while the French system seems an appropriate milieu for candidates to stress their leadership qualities, findings do not bear this out. However, focusing on the traditional left-right division, some support is found for the hypothesis that the strength of the left-right orientation's impact is undercut in elections where personal qualities are stronger. 4 Tables. J. Zendejas