American Behavioral Scientist

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wicks, R. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 50, No. 9, 1247-1254 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0002764207300054
© 2007 SAGE Publications

Does Presentation Style of Presidential Debates Influence Young Voters' Perceptions of Candidates?

Robert H. Wicks

University of Arkansas

In this study, college students were exposed to the final 2004 Bush—Kerry televised presidential debate. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five presentation conditions (i.e., ABC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and PBS). Using a pretest—posttest experimental design, participants rated the candidates on 12 personal and professional attributes. A feeling thermometer also assessed whether the participants' feelings toward the candidates changed following the debate. The results suggest that various presentation styles influenced perceptions of Kerry on the attributes of success and friendliness and on the feeling thermometer. Changes in perceptions on the attribute of strength were also found for Bush.

Key Words: presidential debates • presentation style • presidential candidate attributes


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?