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Number 1/2007
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The effect of ambiguity of political messages on the formation of
electoral preferences
Wojciech Cwalina
Warsaw School of Social Psychology
Paweł Koniak
Warsaw School of Social Psychology
Abstract |
Two experiments investigated effects of political messages' ambiguity on the
formation of electoral preferences. The first was focused on a situation wherein
positive, negative and semantic ambiguity appeal strategies were used in a presented
message. Results partially confirmed hypotheses and indicated that an ambiguous
message isn't very effective in the formation of desired electoral preferences.
In the second experiment, messages consistent or inconsistent with Ss' views and
messages with ambiguous argumentation were analyzed. Results suggest that
a strategy of ambiguity applied by politicians may be beneficial if the point is
to avoid recipients' objections. But the consequences of ambiguity for assessments
of politicians' credibility and voter intentions are negative. Furthermore, cause
and effect processes leading to the formation of electoral support and connected
with processing of information from political messages and from images are clearly
different when a message is unambiguous and when a message is ambiguous.
Key words: message ambiguity; voting intention; social cognition; issue voting;
politician image; negative political campaign; negativity effect
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