Effects of Intergroup Language on Eye-Tracking and Moment-to-Moment Responses in Race-Based Political Messages

Abstract

This paper presents results from two separate experiments designed to explore the influence of intergroup messages on evaluations of an African American male political candidate. Participants were assigned to one of three experimental groups: one that invoked in-group language, one that invoked out-group language, and a control group. Audio messages were accompanied by a static image, consistent across conditions, that displayed the candidate and an interracial crowd. In one study, participants were instructed to move response dials (calibrated to 101-point scales) fluidly throughout the advertisement to correspond to their feelings about the content while in the other, visual fixations were recorded (for both location and duration). This paper offers a descriptive overview of the results of both studies, and a preview of future analyses and possibilities for additional exploration. These studies explore whether political communications that emphasize inclusive or exclusive group membership influence the way people watch and evaluate their politicians.

Keywords: Race; Ethnicity; Political Psychology; Political Communication; Campaigns and Elections; Political Behavior; Visual Attention; Eye Tracking; Moment-to-Moment (MTM); Intergroup messages