96
Views
24
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research reports

An expectancy theory explanation of the effectiveness of political attack television spots: A case study

, &
Pages 235-253 | Published online: 21 May 2009

References

  • Anderson , N. H. 1965 . Averaging versus adding as a stimulus‐combination rule in impression formation . Journal of Experimental Psychology , 70 : 394 – 400 .
  • Armstrong , R. 1988 . The next hurrah: The communication revolution in American politics , New York : Beach Tree Books, William Morrow .
  • Axelrod , D. 1988 . Broadcast views . Advertising Age , November 9 : 88 – 92 .
  • Barrett , L. I. 1988 . Shifting mist: Pit‐bull politics and weak voter conviction make the polls bounce . Time , September 12 : 20 – 21 .
  • Burgoon , M. and Chase , L. J. 1973 . The effects of differential linguistic patterns in messages attempting to induce resistance to persuasion . Speech Monographs , 40 : 1 – 7 .
  • Burgoon , M. and Miller , G. R. 1985 . “ An expectancy interpretation of language and persuasion ” . In Recent advances in language, communication, and social psychology , Edited by: Giles , H. and Clair , R. N. St. 199 – 229 . London : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .
  • Christ , W. G. , Caywood , C. and Thorson , E. . Do attitudes toward negative political advertising affect information processing? . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association . May , Chicago, IL
  • Colford , S. W. 1988 . Campaign flak flies: Pols’ ads have negative charge . Advertising Age , October 31 : 4
  • Cusumano , D. and Richey , M. 1970 . Negative salience in impressions of character: Effects of extremeness of salient information . Psychonomic Science , 20 : 81 – 83 .
  • Cutbirth , C. W. , Monroe , P. S. , Kirch , M. , Case , J. and Mikesell , B. . Negative campaigning: 1988 . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association . April 12–14 , Kansas City, MO
  • Devlin , L. P. 1989 . Contrasts in presidential campaign commercials of 1988 . American behavioral scientist , 32 : 389 – 414 .
  • Diamond , E. and Bates , S. 1988 . The spot: Rise of political advertising in television , Cambridge : MIT Press .
  • Ehrenhalt , A. 1985 . Technology, strategy bring new campaign era . Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report , 43 : 2559 – 2565 .
  • Feldman , S. 1966 . “ Motivational aspects of attitudinal elements and their place in cognitive interaction ” . In Cognitive consistency: Motivational antecedents and behavioral consequents , Edited by: Feldman , S. 75 – 108 . New York : Academic Press .
  • Fiske , S. T. 1980 . Attention and weight in person perception: The impact of negative and extreme behavior . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 38 : 889 – 906 .
  • Forciea , P. April 15 1991 . “ [Interview with Patrick Forciea, Director and chief strategist of the Wellstone campaign] ” . April 15 ,
  • Garramone , G. M. 1984 . Voter responses to negative political ads . Journalism Quarterly , 61 : 250 – 259 .
  • Garramone , G. M. 1985 . Effects of negative political advertising: The roles of sponsor and rebuttal . Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media , 29 : 147 – 159 .
  • Gronbeck , B. E. . The rhetoric of negative political advertising: Thoughts on Senatorial race ads in 1984 . Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association . November , Denver, CO
  • Guskind , R. and Hagstrom , J. 1988 . In the gutter . National Journal , 20 : 2782 – 2790 .
  • Hamilton , D. L. and Huffman , L. F. 1971 . Generality of impression‐formation processes for evaluative and non‐evaluative judgments . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 20 : 200 – 207 .
  • Hamilton , D. L. and Zanna , M. P. 1972 . Differential weighting of favorable and unfavorable attributes in impressions of personality . Journal of Experimental Research in Personality , 6 : 204 – 212 .
  • Hershey , M. R. 1989 . “ The campaign and the media ” . In The elections of 1988: Reports and interpretations , Edited by: Pomper , G. M. 73 – 102 . Chatham, NJ : Chatham House Publishers .
  • Hill , R. P. 1989 . An exploration of voter responses to political advertisements . Journal of Advertising , 18 : 14 – 22 .
  • Hillsman , B. April 14 1991 . “ [Interview with Bill Hillsman, North Woods Advertising, in charge of creating Wellstone's ads for all media] ” . April 14 ,
  • Hodges , B. H. 1974 . Effect of valence on relative weighting in impression formation . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 30 : 378 – 381 .
  • Hotakainen , R. and Schmickle , S. 1990 . Boschwitz stunned while euphoria grips Wellstone backers . Minneapolis Star Tribune , November 7 : 11A
  • Hovland , C. I. , Janis , I. L. and Kelley , H. H. 1953 . Communications and persuasion: Psychological studies of opinion change , New Haven, VT : Yale University Press .
  • Jamieson , K. H. 1989 . Context and the creation of meaning in the advertising of the 1988 Presidential campaign . American Behavioral Scientist , 32 : 415 – 424 .
  • Johnson , D. 1990 . Minnesota professor's “everyman”; appeal wins a Senate seat . New York Times , November 11 : 26
  • Johnson‐Cartee , K. S. and Copeland , G. A. 1991 . Negative political advertising: Coming of age , Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum .
  • Jones , E. E. and Davis , K. E. 1965 . “ From acts to dispositions: The attribution process in person perception ” . In Advances in experimental and social psychology , Edited by: Berkowitz , L. Vol. 2 , 219 – 266 . New York : Academic Press .
  • Kaid , L. L. and Davidson , D. K. 1986 . “ Elements of videostyle: Candidate presentation through television advertising ” . In New perspectives on political advertising , Edited by: Kaid , L. L. , Nimmo , D. and Sanders , K. R. 184 – 209 . Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press .
  • Kaid , L. L. and Sanders , K. 1978 . Political television commercials: An experimental study of type and length . Communication Research , 5 : 57 – 70 .
  • Kanouse , D. E. and Hanson , L. R. Jr. 1972 . “ Negativity in evaluations ” . In Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behavior , Edited by: Jones , E. E. 1 – 16 . Morristown, NJ : General Learning Press .
  • Kellermann , K. 1984 . The negativity effect and its implications for initial interaction . Communication Monographs , 51 : 37 – 55 .
  • Kern , M. 1989 . 30‐second politics: Political advertising in the eighties , New York : Praeger Publishers .
  • Kern , M. . The “new mass media election”; on the Congressional and statewide level: Will eighties patterns persist into the nineties? . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication association . Chicago, IL
  • Kernell , S. 1977 . Presidential popularity and negative voting: An alternative explanation of the midterm Congressional decline of the President's party . The American Political Science Review , 71 : 44 – 66 .
  • Lau , R. R. 1982 . Negativity in political perception . Political Behavior , 4 : 353 – 377 .
  • Lau , R. R. 1985 . Two explanations for negativity effects in political behavior . American Journal of Political Science , 29 : 119 – 138 .
  • Levin , I. P. and Schmidt , C. F. 1969 . Sequential effects in information formation with binary intermittent responding . Journal of Experimental Psychology , 79 : 283 – 287 .
  • Lillehaug , D. April 15 1991 . “ [Interview with David Lillehaug, attorney, who coached Wellstone for his television debate] ” . April 15 ,
  • Louden , A. D. . Political advertising in the Hunt/Helms Senate race: Pot shots and hot spots. . Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association Annual Meeting . May , Montreal, Canada
  • Mann , T. E. and Ornstein , N. J. 1983 . “ Sending a message: Voters and Congress in 1982 ” . In The American election of 1982 , Edited by: Mann , T. E. and Ornstein , N. J. 133 – 152 . Washington, DC : American Enterprise Institute .
  • Martinez , M. D. and DeLegal , T. . Negative ads and negative attitudes: Effects and non‐effects on trust and efficacy. . Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association . April , Chicago
  • McGrath , D. J. 1990 . With more humor than cash, he won it his way . Minneapolis Star Tribune , November 11 : 1 16A – 21A .
  • McGrath , D. J. April 15 1991 . “ [Interview with Dennis McGrath, Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter, who covered the Wellstone campaign throughout] ” . April 15 ,
  • McGrory , M. 1990 . Candidates who use dirty tactics, wave flag because they win votes . Sioux Falls Argus Leader , June 17 : 10A
  • Merritt , S. 1984 . Negative political advertising: Some empirical findings . Journal of Advertising , 13 : 27 – 38 .
  • Miller , J. W. and Rowe , R. M. 1967 . Influence of favorable and unfavorable information upon assessment decisions . Journal of Applied Psychology , 51 : 432 – 435 .
  • Miller , G. R. and Baseheart , J. 1969 . Source trustworthiness, opinionated statements, and response to persuasive communication . Speech Monographs , 36 : 1 – 7 .
  • Miller , G. R. and Lobe , J. 1967 . Opinionated language, open‐and closed‐mindedness, and response to persuasive communications . Journal of Communication , 17 : 333 – 341 .
  • Mitchell , R. 1990 . Have you heard the one about the funny campaign ad? They worked for Wellstone in Minnesota—and may start a trend . Business Weekly , November 26 : 62
  • Moore , D. L. and Hutchinson , J. W. 1985 . “ The influence of affective reactions to advertising: Direct and indirect mechanisms of attitude change ” . In Psychological processes and advertising effects: Theory, research, and applications , Edited by: Alwitt , L. F. and Mitchell , A. A. 65 – 87 . Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .
  • Moyers , B. 1984 . “ Press perspectives ” . In Elections 84: Search for a new coalition , Edited by: Jeffrey , R. C. 24 – 40 . Austin, TX : University of Texas Press .
  • Newhagen , J. E. and Reeves , B. 1991 . “ Emotion and memory responses for negative political advertising: A study of television commercials used in the 1988 Presidential election ” . In Television and political advertising: Volume 1: Psychological processes , Edited by: Biocca , F. 197 – 220 . Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .
  • Nix , Nein and Nay , No Uh‐Uh . 1980 . Marketing & Media Decisions , October 15 : 62 – 63 .
  • Nugent , J. F. 1987 . March/April). Positively negative . Campaigns & Elections , : 47 – 49 .
  • Nyhan , D. 1988 . The Duke: The inside story of a political phenomenon , New York : Warner Books .
  • Pfau , M. and Kenski , H. C. 1990 . Attack politics: Strategy and defense , New York : Praeger Publishers .
  • Pratkanis , A. R. and Greenwald , A. G. 1985 . “ A reliable sleeper effect in persuasion: Implications for opinion change theory and research ” . In Psychological processes and advertising effects: Theory, research, and applications , Edited by: Alwitt , L. F. and Mitchell , A. A. 157 – 173 . Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .
  • Profiles of (1990, November 10). Profiles of the Senate Freshmen . Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report , 3831
  • Reardon , K. K. 1991 . Persuasion in practice , Newbury Park, CA : Sage Publications .
  • Republican's Net Loss (1990 . Republican's net loss: One seat and many expectations . Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report , November 10 : 3824 – 3829 .
  • Richey , M. H. , McClelland , L. and Shimkunas , A. M. 1967 . Relative influence of positive and negative information in impression formation and persistence . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 6 : 322 – 327 .
  • Richey , M. H. , Koenigs , R. J. , Richey , H. W. and Fortin , R. 1975 . Negative salience in impressions of character: Effects of unequal porportions of positive and negative information . The Journal of Social Psychology , 97 : 233 – 241 .
  • Roddy , B. L. and Garramone , G. M. . Negative political advertising: Appeals and strategies. . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association . June , New Orleans
  • Rokeach , M. 1960 . The open and closed mind , New York : Basic Books .
  • Sabato , L. J. 1981 . The rise of political consultants: New ways of winning elections , New York : Basic Books, Inc., Publishers .
  • Sabato , L. J. 1983 . “ Parties, PACS, and independent groups ” . In The American election of 1982 , Edited by: Mann , T. E. and Ornstein , N. J. 72 – 110 . Washington, DC : American Enterprise Institute .
  • Schneider , W. 1988 . Solidarity's not enough . National Journal , 20 : 2853 – 2855 .
  • Shapiro , M. A. and Rieger , R. H. . Comparing positive and negative political advertising. . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association . May , San Francisco
  • Staples , B. 1990 . Dirty political ads, reconsidered . New York Times , November 11 : 16
  • Stewart , C. J. 1975 . Voter perceptions of mudslinging in political communication . Central States Speech Journal , 26 : 279 – 286 .
  • Swinyard , W. R. 1981 . The interaction between comparative advertising and copy claim variation . Journal of Marketing Research , 18 : 175 – 186 .
  • Tarrance , V. L. Jr. 1980 . Negative campaigns and negative votes: The 1980 elections , Washington, DC : Free Congress Research and Education Foundation .
  • Taylor , P. 1986a . Accentuating the negative: Forget issue; campaign ads this year are heavy on “air pollution”; . The Washington Post National Weekly Edition , 3 : 6 – 7 .
  • Taylor , P. 1986b . Negative ads becoming powerful political force: More candidates going for the jugular on TV . Washington Post , October 5 : 1
  • Trent , J. S. and Friedenberg , R. V. 1983 . Political campaign communication: Principles and practices , New York : Praeger Publishers .
  • Welch , W. M. 1988 . Negative trend snowballs . Sioux Falls Argus Leader , October 13 : 7A
  • Wyer , R. S. 1970 . Information redundancy, inconsistency, and novelty and their role in impression formation . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 6 : 111 – 127 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.