Negativity in the Evaluation of Political Candidates

EXTENDED ABSTRACT - The most well accepted explanation for the negativity effect (greater weighting of negatives as compared to positives in the formation of overall evaluations) in the political domain is the perceptual figure-ground theory (also known as the salience explanation or the expectancy-contrast explanation, Fiske 1980; Klein 1991, 1996). This theory is based on the argument that people generally exhibit a Aperson positivity bias@ whereby they have positive expectations of others (Sears 1983), including political candidates, and negatives contrast against these expectations. From Anderson’s (1981) cognitive algebra theory through to the figure-ground explanation, non-motivational explanations for negativity dominate.



Citation:

Jill G. Klein and Rohini Ahluwalia (2005) ,"Negativity in the Evaluation of Political Candidates", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 21-22.

Authors

Jill G. Klein, INSEAD
Rohini Ahluwalia, University of Minnesota



Volume

NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 | 2005



Share Proceeding

Featured papers

See More

Featured

How the Past Shapes the Present: The Assimilation of Enjoyment to Similar Past Experiences

Anika Stuppy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Bram Van den Bergh, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Read More

Featured

J11. The Myth of Return – Success or Failure? Consumer Identity and Belonging in the Case of Repatriate Migrants

Sonja N. Kralj, University of Augsburg, Germany
Michael Paul, University of Augsburg, Germany

Read More

Featured

Good Gets Better, Bad Gets Worse: The Polarizing Effect of Rating a Consumption Experience

Nahid Ibrahim, University of Alberta, Canada
Gerald Häubl, University of Alberta, Canada
Rory Waisman, University of Alberta, Canada

Read More

Engage with Us

Becoming an Association for Consumer Research member is simple. Membership in ACR is relatively inexpensive, but brings significant benefits to its members.