2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

24-18 BIAS IN POLITICAL COMMUNICATION?RoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sat 1:45 pmMichelle D. Brophy-Baermann, University of Wisconsin,Stevens PointThe Eye of the Beholder: Perceptions of Bias in the News,1985-2005Stephen E. Bennett, University of Southern IndianaOverview: This study focuses on feelings of political bias in thenews between 1985 and 2005. If perceptions that newsorganizations are biased in their coverage of public affairs arepart of a larger set of attitudes, it may be harder to change thisfeeling.How Liberals and Conservatives Think: Evidence onLakoff's Theory in the Rhetoric of Political AdvertisingGlenn W. Richardson, Jr., Kutztown University ofPennsylvaniaOverview: The DICTION text analysis program is used toexplore partisan variations in the rhetoric of campaign ads interms of the conceptual metaphors in George Lakoff'sworldview-based analysis, Moral Politics: How Liberals andConservatives Think.Memorable Encounters: Ideology, Information Acquisitionand Television NewsJoel Turner, Florida State UniversityOverview: Does perceived media bias impact a viewer's abilityto acquire and recall information? Utilizing an experimentaldesign, I will examine whether individuals are better able toacquire and recall information from a consonant or dissonantmedia source.Glenn W. Richardson, Jr., Kutztown University ofPennsylvania24-201 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: BEINGUNCIVIL: THE CHANGING TONE OFPOLITICAL COMMUNICATIONRoom TBA, Sat 1:45 pmPresenter Mediating Incivility: Contentious Political Discourse in theTelevision AgeDiana C. Mutz, University of PennsylvaniaJocelyn Landau, Annenberg School for CommunicationOverview: This experimental study incorporates cross-mediacomparisons of civil and uncivil political discourse (television,radio, and print) in order to investigate how different forms ofmediation condition the impact of incivility on politicalattitudes.24-202 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE:EDITORIALIZING POLITICS: THE ROLEOF ENDORSEMENTS AND EDITORIALS INPOLITICAL OUTCOMESRoom TBA, Sat 1:45 pmPresenter The Importance of Newspaper Editorials in the PolicyProcessPhilip D, Habel, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignOverview: This study uses both systematic and anecdotalevidence to show that members of Congress take the New YorkTimes and the Wall Street Journal editorials seriously.Presenter Ballot Boxing: Comparing the Impact of Endorsements onBallot ReferendaShad B. Satterthwaite, University of OklahomaOverview: This paper examines the impact of newspaperendorsements of state ballot questions. It comparesendorsements from a state's two major newspapers on ballotreferenda over several decades and assesses their effects onvoting behavior.25-6 THE IMPACT OF FEMALE CANDIDATES:DETERRENCE, ENGAGEMENT, ANDOUTCOMESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sat 1:45 pmJennifer L. Lawless, Brown UniversityAn MC Like Me: Does Descriptive Representation EffectContacting Behavior?Melanie R. Castleberg, Texas Tech UniversityOverview: This paper examines the effects of descriptiverepresentation on the political participation of women.Specifically, I focus on contacting behavior to determinewhether symbolic representation does in fact influence politicalbehavior.Female Candidates, Issues, and Political ProselytizingAtiya K. Stokes-Brown, Florida State UniversityMelissa Neal, Florida State UniversityOverview: This paper examines whether candidate gender andcampaign issues influence attempts at political persuasionamong women in the electorate.Do Female Candidates Deter Male Voters? The 1998 HouseElectionsKatherine Gallagher, University of Michigan, Ann ArborOverview: I use propensity scores and matching on district andindividual level data for the 1998 House elections to estimatehow the presence of a female candidate influences voter turnoutof men and women.Paper Party Success and Women Congressional Candidates, 1982-2004Rosalyn Cooperman, University of Mary WashingtonOverview: This project examines whether aggregate vote sharereceived by the Democratic and Republican parties increased ordecreased when they ran women candidates in congressionalelections from 1982 through 2004.Disc.Nancy Zingale, University of St. Thomas, MinnesotaJennifer L. Lawless, Brown University25-201 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: EUROPEANUNION INSTITUTIONS AND GENDEREQUALITYRoom TBA, Sat 1:45 pmPresenter Gender Equality in the Candidate Countries - a Result ofEuropeanisationIngrid Roder, University of BremenOverview: In this paper the effectiveness of the pre-accessionmeasures of the EU in the area of gender equality in the CzechRepublic and Slovakia are examined. Were the norms of EUgenderequality not only formally, but also substantiallyimplemented?Presenter Implementing European Women's Rights Policies: The Roleof Transnational NetworksCeleste Montoya Kirk, Southern Illinois University,CarbondaleOverview: This paper examines the impact that Europeaninitiatives on gender violence have had on the policy practicesof Member States.26-10 MINORITY CANDIDATESRoomChairPaperPaperTBA, Sat 1:45 pmCasellas Jason, University of Texas, AustinThe Influence of Skin Tone on the Trait Attributions ofBlack CandidatesTony E. Carey, Jr., SUNY, Stony BrookOverview: Using an analysis of variance, the experimentfocuses on how voters make trait attributions based oncandidates’ race and skin tone.Post-Racial Politics, The 2004 U.S. Senate Campaign inIllinoisMartin Dupuis, Western Illinois UniversityKeith Boeckelman, Western Illinois UniversityOverview: The role that racial issues played in Barack Obama'sprimary and general election will be outlined, and the factors225