“Biased” Systematic and Heuristic Processing of Politicians’ Messages: Effects of Source Favorability and Political Interest on Attitude Judgment

Authors

  • Sungeun Chung Sungkyunkwan U
  • Moniza Waheed University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Keywords:

politicians’ messages, source favorability, bias hypothesis, political interest, heuristic processing

Abstract

This study investigated two information-processing modes for political messages from favored politicians: “biased” systematic processing and heuristic processing. In an experiment, college students (N = 183) with different levels of political interest received messages about unfamiliar political issues from either a favored or a less favored candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. For those with low levels of political interest, source favorability had a direct effect on attitudes, indicating heuristic processing. For those with high political interest, source favorability had an indirect effect on attitudes through message-relevant thoughts, indicating biased systematic processing. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Author Biographies

Sungeun Chung, Sungkyunkwan U

Sungeun Chung (Ph.D., University of Maryland) is associate professor of journalism and mass communication at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. His research involves creating and testing mathematical models of information processing and belief change.

Moniza Waheed, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Assistant Professor, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

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Published

2016-05-25

Issue

Vol. 10 (2016)

Section

Articles

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