Abstract
Employing social identity theory, this study explores the interaction of gender and party variables in political elections. We used an experimental approach with a two (man/woman) x two (Republican/Democrat) design, in which participants viewed a political website, to assess the influence of shared and competing identities in candidate evaluations as well as the mechanisms of influence. Upholding previous findings, we found that a candidate’s partisan identity carried significantly more weight than their gender identity. Extending previous findings, results reveal that shared identities increase feelings of homophily, which biases elaboration about the candidate. This identity-biased elaboration influences attitudes and voting decisions.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Freddie J. Jennings
Freddie J. Jennings (PhD, University of Missouri) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas. His research investigates identity motivated elaboration, communication and technology, and political cognition.
Meredith Neville-Shepard
Meredith Neville-Shepard (PhD, University of Kansas) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas. She is a feminist rhetorical scholar whose research examines popular culture, political discourse, and bodily argument.
Dani Jackson
Dani B. Jackson (M.A., University of Arkansas) is an instructor in the Department of Communication and a marketing and communication specialist for the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Arkansas.