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Context, engagement, and the (multiple) functions of negativity bias

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2014

Christopher M. Federico
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455. federico@umn.eduhttp://www.psych.umn.edu/people/facultyprofile.php?UID=federico
Christopher D. Johnston
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0204. christopher.johnston@duke.eduhttp://sites.duke.edu/chrisjohnston/
Howard G. Lavine
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455. lavine@umn.eduhttp://www.polisci.umn.edu/people/profile.php?UID=lavine

Abstract

Hibbing and colleagues argue that political attitudes may be rooted in individual differences in negativity bias. Here, we highlight the complex, conditional nature of the relationship between negativity bias and ideology by arguing that the political impact of negativity bias should vary as a function of (1) issue domain and (2) political engagement.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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