Political perception among young Australians: affective versus cognitive appraisal.
We investigated the role of affect in the political perceptions of a sample of Australian university students (N = 185). Following the procedure of Abelson, Kinder, Peters, and Fiske (1982), we compared affective and cognitive appraisals of three Australian politicians (Bob Hawke, John Howard, and John Bjelke-Petersen) and examined their respective influence on favorability judgments. Affective appraisals were less consistent than cognitive appraisals, and affect was a significant predictor of favorability, with certain idiosyncratic exceptions. Bjelke-Petersen elicited comparatively consistent affective reactions. The affective reactions elicited by Hawke were inconsequential to favorability. Two dimensions of negative affect for Hawke revealed a differential impact of negative affect on favorability.
Innes
J M
JM
Department of Psychology and Sociology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Ahrens
C R
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001315:Australia; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*