General Examination for the Minor in Political Psychology
August, 2013
Department of Political Science
Ohio State University
Instructions. Answer one question from Section A, one question from Section B, and two questions from Section C, for a total of four questions.
Section A: Theory in Political Psychology
1.
Researchers from a personality psychology perspective tend to stress the importance of individual differences in explaining behavioral variation, while researchers from a social psychology perspective stress the importance of situational factors. Drawing on the literatures in both mass and elite political psychology, provide examples of research that reflects these different perspectives, as well as examples of research that takes into account the joint impact of both personality and situational factors. Which perspective – the personality, the situational, or the joint impact – holds the most promise for understanding political outcomes?
2.
Several general models of social and political cognition use a "dual-mode" information processing paradigm. What are the two modes that allegedly guide our thinking, and is such a characterization useful for political analysis? First, give a general description of the two modes of thinking. Next, describe two different areas of social or political psychology where this conceptualization has been applied. Be sure to describe specific political applications for both of your examples, even if the original theory was developed in a nonpolitical domain.
Evaluate the dual-mode approach. What are its strengths and weaknesses for political analysis?
Section B: Research Methods in Political Psychology
1.
Most of the empirical evidence on public opinion was obtained through survey research.
Recently, many psychologists and survey researchers have begun to examine in-depth the psychological processes involved in the answering of survey questions. What have we learned about these processes? How might we adjust our research techniques to take advantage of the latest thinking about the psychology of the survey response? Can these studies tell us anything useful about political thinking outside the survey setting?
2.
Scholars generally agree that the method employed in any piece of research should be evaluated according to how well it satisfies the twin criteria of internal validity and external validity. Define these two criteria. Discuss three methods that are frequently employed in political psychology, and describe how well these methods generally satisfy the two criteria.
Pick a specific research study that you believe is particularly strong in terms of internal and external validity, and another that you believe is particularly weak. Explain why each does, or does not, measure up.

Section C: Topics in Political Psychology
1.
Much of social cognition research was criticized for being too "cold," that is, for ignoring the role of affect and motivation in guiding thought and behavior. What do we know about how affect and motivation interact with cognitive processes to influence political judgment and behavior? Do emotions play a substantial role in shaping citizens' political decisions? If so, when? Is such a role problematic? What, in your view, are some of the limitations of political science research on affect and emotions?
2.
Is there a relationship between the opinions of citizens and the policies their leaders enact?
What is the nature of that relationship? Why do leaders respond to the “will of the public,” if indeed they do? Should they, or can one make the case that leaders should operate relatively free of the direct influence of public opinion?
3.
Are social and political values important for public opinion? Define values, taking care to distinguish between the terms value, beliefs, affect, and attitude. Make an argument about the role of values in structuring political opinions. What happens when values come into conflict?
4.
Framing is a hot topic in a number of fields. How do political scientists use the term? Do they use the term the same way that researchers in other disciplines use it (e.g., sociology, psychology, communications)? How does framing differ from other familiar communication phenomena (e.g., priming)?
5.
Political psychology has long been a “tool” for developing explanations of the ways that groups matter in the political process. Discuss two different psychological mechanisms by which “groups” get introduced into politics and political decisionmaking, and what the implications of those insights have been for a specific substantive literature (of your choosing).
6.
Scholars have identified a number of threats to the promise and practice of American democratic life, including allegations that Americans lacks sufficient levels of political knowledge and sophistication to participate wisely or even sensibly in political affairs.
Recently, scholars have challenged the notion that citizens that need to be politically informed, by arguing that citizens can reach sensible decisions through the use of heuristics.
Alternatively, some scholars have argued that through on-line processing of information, citizens are responsive to information even if they can not remember much of the information they receive. Discuss the literatures on citizens’ use of heuristics, and on-line processing, in turn. Evaluate the success, or failure, of these two approaches as solutions to the problems of democratic citizenship.