A Constructivist Analysis of Perceptions of 1980 Presidential Candidates
Delancey, Charles Arthur
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/77281
Description
Title
A Constructivist Analysis of Perceptions of 1980 Presidential Candidates
Author(s)
Delancey, Charles Arthur
Issue Date
1985
Department of Study
Speech Communication
Discipline
Speech Communication
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Speech Communication
Language
eng
Abstract
This study sought to assess the feasibility of a constructivist interpretation of the influence of political campaign messages on the development of persons' impressions of presidential candidates. The study sought to discover whether persons who differed in orientations to the 1980 campaign would also differ in reported attention to campaign messages and in systematic changes in the content and level of elaboration of their impressions of the candidates. One hundred fourteen students enrolled in the introductory course in public speaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign served as subjects. Subjects received and completed research protocols in three class sessions at monthly intervals: in September, in October, and in November. The protocols included measures of impressions of each of the three major presidential candidates, measures of interest in the campaign, measures of probable vote choice and certainty of that choice, measures of reasons for attending to or avoiding campaign messages, measures of reported exposure to a variety of campaign-related, mass-mediated messages, and measures of reported discussions concerning the campaign with peers. Results indicated that three groups of subjects could be identified by patterns of responses to study measures. The results suggest that future constructivist investigations of the influence of political campaign messages would be informative in discovering how persons develop their impressions and act upon their impressions of candidates.
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