The Effects of HDTV on Perceptions of Obama and McCain in a 2008 Presidential Debate

Angela L. Bos, Bas W. van Doorn, Abbey C. Smanik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

As high-definition television (HDTV) becomes more prevalent, it may affect how people perceive politicians. This study experimentally tests the effects of HD on people's perceptions of John McCain and Barack Obama during their second presidential debate, hypothesizing that the HD format will hurt McCain. Consistent with the authors' expectations, it was found that the HD format negatively influenced global evaluations toward McCain. In addition, HDTV viewers free-listed more negative responses to McCain, including several pertaining to his age. This report discusses why these findings were observed, and implications for candidate strategy and the study of media effects are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)161-168
Number of pages8
JournalCommunication Research Reports
Volume29
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2012

Keywords

  • Debate
  • HDTV
  • Political Campaign

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