title: Remembering and Voting: Theory and Evidence from Amnesic Patients.
abstract: One of the most prominent claims to emerge from the field of public opinion is that citizens can vote for candidates whose issue positions best reflect their own beliefs even when they cannot remember previously learned stances associated with the candidates. The current experiment provides a unique and powerful examination of this claim by determining whether individuals with profound amnesia, whose severe memory impairments prevent them from remembering specific issue information associated with any particular candidate, can vote for candidates whose issue positions come closest to their own political views. We report here that amnesic patients, despite not being able to remember any issue information, consistently voted for candidates with favored political positions. Thus, sound voting decisions do not require recall or recognition of previously learned associations between candidates and their issue positions. This result supports a multiple memory systems model of political decision making.
authors: University of Illinois, Department of Political Science, 1407 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801.
authors: Jason C
authors: JC
authors: Coronel
authors: University of Iowa, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 250 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.
authors: Melissa C
authors: MC
authors: Duff
authors: University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242.
authors: David E
authors: DE
authors: Warren
authors: University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
authors: Kara D
authors: KD
authors: Federmeier
authors: University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
authors: Brian D
authors: BD
authors: Gonsalves
authors: University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Tranel
authors: University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
authors: Neal J
authors: NJ
authors: Cohen
keywords: candidate evaluation; citizen competence; emotion; memory; on-line processing; voting