Cornell COMM 2760 Notes

Agenda Overview

• Peripheral Cues and their importance
• Selective Exposure and Attention
• Belief Superiority and its effects
• Revisiting Perspective-Getting strategies

Snap Judgments in Political Context

• Warmth and competence perceptions influence voting choices.
• Study shows 70% predictive success in voting outcomes based on rapid assessments of appearance.

Components of Perceived Competence

• Inner eyebrows raised, pronounced cheekbones, wide chins, shallow noses were identified as indicators of competence.

Colorism Stereotypes

• Discusses how race and physical appearance affect perceptions in politics and various studies relating to these biases.

Biased Information Processing

• Concepts of selective exposure (seeking agreeable information) and selective attention (focusing on familiar viewpoints) are critical in understanding ideological divides.

Belief Superiority

• Defined as the tendency to consider one’s beliefs as superior.
• People often engage less with opposing views, inhibiting attitude change and learning.

Moralized Attitudes and Compromise

• Importance of mutual toleration and forbearance in democracies for future collaborations.

Perspective-Getting Strategies

• Techniques include analogic perspective-taking, listening to others' experiences, and sharing stories to bridge ideological divides.

Research Findings on Polarization

• Data shows distinct belief divides on issues like climate change, with varying perceptions across demographic lines.