Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation examines the effect of subtle affective cues (such as the American flag, upbeat music, and balloons in conventions, or smiling faces, family togetherness, or dark, moody backgrounds in political ads, and the like) in citizen thinking, reasoning, and behavior.Stemming from prominent theories in political psychology and social psychology, this dissertation explores the long-term effects of incidental affective cues on how people think deeply about such political issues as illegal immigration and the energy crisis.Using data from several experiments and surveys this dissertation analyzes how unnoticed (or too peripheral) affective influences change the way we "stop and think" about political issues and policies, update our political attitudes, and reach political judgments.By manipulating affective cues readily available in the environment, I demonstrate that incidental affective influences exert systematic effects on political attitudes and behavior in general.Although subtle, sudden, and unnoticed, affective cues (i.e.primes) around us impact the way we think, reason, and behave.Implications for citizen rationalization of judgments and decisions, and our understanding of democratic citizenry are discussed.
Author: Erisen , Cengiz
Institution: Stony Brook University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6979751284