Hello,I am currently a PhD student at Ohio State University, studying Political Communication and Social Network Methods. I hold a Bachelor's degree in the same field from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Other interests of mine include political theory and journalistic media as they to a social understanding of events of a political nature. I would be delighted talk with you about questions or thoughts you might have on anything. For more information, such as my CV or contact info, please see my personal website: https://www.matthewsweitzer.com Supervisors: Dr. Robert Bond Phone: (815)307-2647
Person-to-person communication is ubiquitous in everyday life, yet the literature on framing has ... more Person-to-person communication is ubiquitous in everyday life, yet the literature on framing has not examined how the content and number of frames change when transmitted across individuals. In Study 1, we use the serial reproduction paradigm to examine how person-to-person communication and message length influence the number of frames in the information environment. In Study 2, we use eye movement monitoring to examine whether individuals direct greater attention to pro- or counter-attitudinal frames in a competitive framing environment. We find that the process of retelling frames from person to person can transform an environment containing multiple competing frames into an environment with a single frame. This is important given work showing that framing effects in competitive environments are more likely to cancel out. Furthermore, message length and prior attitudes play important roles in determining whether individuals direct attention to, remember, and transmit frames.
Numerical facts play a prominent role in public discourse, but individuals often provide incorrec... more Numerical facts play a prominent role in public discourse, but individuals often provide incorrect estimates of policy-relevant numerical quantities (e.g., the number of immigrants in the country). Across two studies, we examined the role of schemas in the creation of numerical misinformation, and how misinformation can spread via person-to-person communication. In our first study, we combined eye movement monitoring and behavioral methods to examine how schemas distorted what people remembered about policy-relevant numerical information. Then, in a second study, we examined the consequences of these memory distortions via the social transmission of numerical information, using the serial reproduction paradigm. We found that individuals misremembered numerical information in a manner consistent with their schemas, and that person-to-person transmission can exacerbate these memory errors. Our studies highlight the mechanisms supporting the generation and spread of numerical misinform...
An important but understudied characteristic of the information environment involves political in... more An important but understudied characteristic of the information environment involves political information changing across time. This dynamic feature of the environment can make it difficult for voters to possess accurate political knowledge. In this study, we assessed memory for political information using self-report and eye movement methods. We used these metrics to examine how individuals learn facts about policies whose important features have changed across time. We find that eye movements can accurately assess changes in political information even when self-reports fail to do so. Our results highlight the utility of a converging methods approach in the study of dynamic information environments, and specify mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit people's capacity to recognize changes in political information.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement is the civil rights issue of our time, with opinions being ... more The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement is the civil rights issue of our time, with opinions being fractured along racial lines. We examine how the relationship between identity constructs and BLM support operates differently among African Americans and White Americans. Our findings show ethnic identity predicts African Americansā attitudes on BLM, but is a poor predictor of White Americansā beliefs. Conversely, social dominance orientation better predicts White Americansā opinions of BLM, but does not associate with BLM attitudes among African Americans. The interaction of these constructs among White American respondents suggests that as White Americans discuss racial issues, the impact of social dominance is negated ā leading to positive evaluations of BLM. These processes have implications for communication about racial issues.
Three studies examined the role of language difficulty in public opinion questions. Guided by fee... more Three studies examined the role of language difficulty in public opinion questions. Guided by feelings-as-information theory (FIT; Schwarz 2011), the first study presents an experiment (N = 1,018) in which the language difficulty of public opinion questions was varied. Findings suggest that language difficulty affected metacognitive experiences, which in turn affected reports of political interest, political efficacy, don't know responding, and ideological constraint. Study 2 (N = 1,817) presents cross-sectional evidence from publicly available data that also indicates question-language difficulty influences don't know responding. Given these findings, study 3 (N = 8,090) presents a content analysis that reveals significant systematic variability in language difficulty within polling questions across 10 polling firms in 2016. Contextualizing these findings within a FIT framework, we contend that variability in language difficulty differentially and systematically affects participants' metacognitive experiences while responding to public opinion questions. Given that metacognitive experiences affect survey response, language difficulty ought to be more carefully considered when drafting opinion questions. To this end, the data presented in these studies can be used to aid question construction by providing numeric guidelines, using widely available measures that contextual-ize the relative difficulty of survey language. It is also recommended that items assessing metacognitive experiences be included in survey
This experiment tested whether a communication frame could be developed to improve undergraduates... more This experiment tested whether a communication frame could be developed to improve undergraduates' understanding of contemporary political issues. Specifically, a meta-cognitive equivalency frame (easy vs. difficult) was designed to test whether framing and processing fluency affect constructs important to public opinion research. Consistent with expectations, those in the easy frame condition reported more confidence in their political knowledge, less ambivalent issue positions, and showed evidence of more ideological thinking than those in the difficult frame condition (N = 488). The results of this study imply that communication frames can be designed to improve peo-ple's ability to reason through complex ideas. Theoretical advancements to framing theory and feelings-as-information theory are offered and practical applications for this work are advanced.
Guided by feelings-as-information theory, this experiment examined whether the difficulty of lang... more Guided by feelings-as-information theory, this experiment examined whether the difficulty of language in public opinion questions would influence reports of political interest and political efficacy. Results (N = 235) found that exposure to the easy language condition led to higher reports of political interest and efficacy than in the difficult language condition and that this effect was mediated by processing fluency. These findings proffer implications for the strategic use of language in political engagement and civic education initiatives. In a representative democracy, it is troublesome when representation disproportionately favors certain demographics (Schlozman, Verba, & Brady, 1997). Although the reasons for disproportionate engagement are complex, the goal of more equal representation can be a catalyst that fuels researchers to come up with strategies to connect those who feel disconnected from the political process. Accordingly, this research explores a strategy, derived from social psychology, to influence reports of political interest and political efficacy. The thesis advanced in this article is straightforward: If political issues are communicated in a way that makes the arguments easier to understand , people should report being knowledgeable about, and interested in, politics. To
Person-to-person communication is ubiquitous in everyday life, yet the literature on framing has ... more Person-to-person communication is ubiquitous in everyday life, yet the literature on framing has not examined how the content and number of frames change when transmitted across individuals. In Study 1, we use the serial reproduction paradigm to examine how person-to-person communication and message length influence the number of frames in the information environment. In Study 2, we use eye movement monitoring to examine whether individuals direct greater attention to pro- or counter-attitudinal frames in a competitive framing environment. We find that the process of retelling frames from person to person can transform an environment containing multiple competing frames into an environment with a single frame. This is important given work showing that framing effects in competitive environments are more likely to cancel out. Furthermore, message length and prior attitudes play important roles in determining whether individuals direct attention to, remember, and transmit frames.
Numerical facts play a prominent role in public discourse, but individuals often provide incorrec... more Numerical facts play a prominent role in public discourse, but individuals often provide incorrect estimates of policy-relevant numerical quantities (e.g., the number of immigrants in the country). Across two studies, we examined the role of schemas in the creation of numerical misinformation, and how misinformation can spread via person-to-person communication. In our first study, we combined eye movement monitoring and behavioral methods to examine how schemas distorted what people remembered about policy-relevant numerical information. Then, in a second study, we examined the consequences of these memory distortions via the social transmission of numerical information, using the serial reproduction paradigm. We found that individuals misremembered numerical information in a manner consistent with their schemas, and that person-to-person transmission can exacerbate these memory errors. Our studies highlight the mechanisms supporting the generation and spread of numerical misinform...
An important but understudied characteristic of the information environment involves political in... more An important but understudied characteristic of the information environment involves political information changing across time. This dynamic feature of the environment can make it difficult for voters to possess accurate political knowledge. In this study, we assessed memory for political information using self-report and eye movement methods. We used these metrics to examine how individuals learn facts about policies whose important features have changed across time. We find that eye movements can accurately assess changes in political information even when self-reports fail to do so. Our results highlight the utility of a converging methods approach in the study of dynamic information environments, and specify mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit people's capacity to recognize changes in political information.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement is the civil rights issue of our time, with opinions being ... more The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement is the civil rights issue of our time, with opinions being fractured along racial lines. We examine how the relationship between identity constructs and BLM support operates differently among African Americans and White Americans. Our findings show ethnic identity predicts African Americansā attitudes on BLM, but is a poor predictor of White Americansā beliefs. Conversely, social dominance orientation better predicts White Americansā opinions of BLM, but does not associate with BLM attitudes among African Americans. The interaction of these constructs among White American respondents suggests that as White Americans discuss racial issues, the impact of social dominance is negated ā leading to positive evaluations of BLM. These processes have implications for communication about racial issues.
Three studies examined the role of language difficulty in public opinion questions. Guided by fee... more Three studies examined the role of language difficulty in public opinion questions. Guided by feelings-as-information theory (FIT; Schwarz 2011), the first study presents an experiment (N = 1,018) in which the language difficulty of public opinion questions was varied. Findings suggest that language difficulty affected metacognitive experiences, which in turn affected reports of political interest, political efficacy, don't know responding, and ideological constraint. Study 2 (N = 1,817) presents cross-sectional evidence from publicly available data that also indicates question-language difficulty influences don't know responding. Given these findings, study 3 (N = 8,090) presents a content analysis that reveals significant systematic variability in language difficulty within polling questions across 10 polling firms in 2016. Contextualizing these findings within a FIT framework, we contend that variability in language difficulty differentially and systematically affects participants' metacognitive experiences while responding to public opinion questions. Given that metacognitive experiences affect survey response, language difficulty ought to be more carefully considered when drafting opinion questions. To this end, the data presented in these studies can be used to aid question construction by providing numeric guidelines, using widely available measures that contextual-ize the relative difficulty of survey language. It is also recommended that items assessing metacognitive experiences be included in survey
This experiment tested whether a communication frame could be developed to improve undergraduates... more This experiment tested whether a communication frame could be developed to improve undergraduates' understanding of contemporary political issues. Specifically, a meta-cognitive equivalency frame (easy vs. difficult) was designed to test whether framing and processing fluency affect constructs important to public opinion research. Consistent with expectations, those in the easy frame condition reported more confidence in their political knowledge, less ambivalent issue positions, and showed evidence of more ideological thinking than those in the difficult frame condition (N = 488). The results of this study imply that communication frames can be designed to improve peo-ple's ability to reason through complex ideas. Theoretical advancements to framing theory and feelings-as-information theory are offered and practical applications for this work are advanced.
Guided by feelings-as-information theory, this experiment examined whether the difficulty of lang... more Guided by feelings-as-information theory, this experiment examined whether the difficulty of language in public opinion questions would influence reports of political interest and political efficacy. Results (N = 235) found that exposure to the easy language condition led to higher reports of political interest and efficacy than in the difficult language condition and that this effect was mediated by processing fluency. These findings proffer implications for the strategic use of language in political engagement and civic education initiatives. In a representative democracy, it is troublesome when representation disproportionately favors certain demographics (Schlozman, Verba, & Brady, 1997). Although the reasons for disproportionate engagement are complex, the goal of more equal representation can be a catalyst that fuels researchers to come up with strategies to connect those who feel disconnected from the political process. Accordingly, this research explores a strategy, derived from social psychology, to influence reports of political interest and political efficacy. The thesis advanced in this article is straightforward: If political issues are communicated in a way that makes the arguments easier to understand , people should report being knowledgeable about, and interested in, politics. To
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