2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

18-14 THE STUDY AND MEASUREMENT OFRACIAL ATTITUDESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amShayla C. Nunnally, University of ConnecticutOn the Meaning and Measurement of Political Values: ACritical AssessmentChristopher S. Parker, University of California, SantaBarbara/Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy ScholarOverview: This paper challenges whether or not a second-orderfactor representing political culture is possible, and whether itsmeasurement is affected by race.Color-Blind Policies or Color-Infused Principles: AnExperimentInna Burdein, Stony Brook UniversityOverview: This experiment addresses competing hypotheseswithin racial literature: (a) conservatives rely on their principlesin making policy decision, regardless of race, or (b)conservatives abandon their principles when policies benefitminorities.Race on the Brain: A Functional MRI Study of RacialPerceptionDarren Schreiber, University of California, San DiegoOverview: MRI has proven to be a useful tool for examiningracial attitudes. This study adds nuance to this line of researchby focusing on the neural correlates of perception of White andBlack political figures.Social Groups and Social Desirability: Measuring Groupand Question Stimulus EffectsChristopher P. Muste, University of MontanaOverview: Survey experiments are used to assess two types ofsocial desirability effects: the effect of social group cures ofrace, sex, and class; and the effect of questions tapping socialgroup affiliations compared to perceptions of social groupinfluence.John E. Transue, Duke University19-9 INFORMED VOTING?RoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sun 10:30 amRichard R. Lau, Rutgers UniversityHearing the Campaign: Candidate Messages, PublicPerceptions, and Public PrioritiesMichele P. Claibourn, University of VirginiaOverview: Do citizens accurately hear the issue content of thepresidential advertising campaign? Do they prioritize the issuescandidates emphasize in their advertising campaigns?An Exploration of Correct Voting in U.S. PresidentialElections, 1972 - 2004Richard R. Lau, Rutgers UniversityDavid J. Andersen, Rutgers UniversityDavid P. Redlawsk, University of IowaOverview: This paper presents a comprehensive examination ofcorrect voting in U.S. presidential elections, 1972 - 2004. Threesets of predictors are considered: individual (cognitive)capacity, task difficulty, and the complexity/density of theinformation.Too Many Bush Voters? False Vote Recall and the 2004 ExitPollMark Lindeman, Bard CollegeOverview: The 2004 NEP exit poll indicates that 2004 votershad substantially favored George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000– an "impossible" result that some took as evidence of fraud.How anomalous is the result, and how should it influenceelection analysis?Campaign Effects and Correct VotingScott D. McClurg, Southern Illinois University, CarbondaleTom Holbrook, University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeOverview: We examine the effect of presidential campaigns onthe probability of voting correctly.PaperDisc.Consumption of Ideology and Voting HeuristicsX. T. Wang, University of South DakotaOverview: The study examined how different choice heuristicsaccounted for participants' presidential choice two monthsbefore the 2004 election. A few simple heuristics did better inpredicting the overall winner of the voting than normativedecision rules.William G. Jacoby, Michigan State University22-9 SHORTCUTS TO POLITICALKNOWLEDGERoomChairPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Sun 10:30 amPaul Goren, Arizona State UniversityThe Military Vote: Security Threats and Candidates'Veteran Prestige as DeterminantsJohn M. Fulwider, University of Nebraska, LincolnOverview: The military votes like civilians, except in times ofthreat. Further, they aren't swayed by a candidate's militarybackground. This will affect the electoral prospects of the firstgroup of veterans since Vietnam to enter politics in largenumbers.Cue-based Versus Message-based Political Persuasion:Evidence From a SurveyRune Slothuus, University of Aarhus, DenmarkOverview: A national representative election survey allows meto disentangle the persuasive effects of changing arguments inpolitical messages, while holding the partisan source constant,thus illuminating cue-based versus message-based opinionchange.Cues Given, Cues Received: How Candidates Use ShortcutsWhen Voters Need Them MostJeff M. Tessin, Princeton UniversityOverview: This paper shows that House candidates use morecues and heuristics in their ads in crowded media markets andunsophisticated districts. Thus, candidates may help citizencompetence by providing messages suited for low-informationconditions.Paul Goren, Arizona State UniversityWendy Rahn, University of Minnesota23-2 CROSS-NATIONAL VOTER TURNOUT ANDPOLITICAL PARTICIPATIONRoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Sun 10:30 amMiki Caul Kittilson, Arizona State UniversityVoter Equality in Post-Industrialized Nations: TheInteraction of Individual Resources and Political ContextMiki Caul Kittilson, Arizona State UniversityMark M. Gray, Georgetown UniversityOverview: We draw on the cross-national Comparative Study ofElectoral Systems data set to examine how political institutionsand organizations interact with individual-level resources inshaping an individual's propensity to vote.European Parliament Electoral Turnout in Post-CommunistEuropeMary A. Stegmaier, University of VirginiaChristine Fauvelle-Aymar, Universite de Paris IOverview: Turnout rates in the 2004 European Parliamentelection in the post-communist states averaged 32.5% andranged from 17% in Slovakia to 48% in Lithuania. Usingdistrict-level data, we assess the factors that explain the variancein turnout rates.What Makes Compulsory Voting Mandatory? A Cross-National Study of Compulsory Voting and Turnout, 1970-2004James W. Endersby, University of Missouri, ColumbiaJonathan T. Krieckhaus, University of Missouri, ColumbiaOverview: On average, compulsory voting increases nationalvoter turnout by about ten percent. However, the influence ofmandatory voting laws depends on the penalty imposed, thelevel of enforcement, the extensiveness of coverage, and thelevel of democracy.264