Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: The Effects of Strengthened Racial Cues in Candidate Evaluations

本研究的目的是了解强化种族线索在候选人评估中的作用。 由于候选人的种族线索被多个种族指标强化，选民对候选人的评价与种族没有强化或强化的候选人不同。 这项研究测试了这些影响对非洲裔美国人的候选人。 该研究确定，随着候选人的种族变得更强或被其他种族指标强化，受访者对候选人的评价是负面还是正面。 此外，当种族线索被加强时，选民是否会做出更多的刻板印象判断？当种族线索被加强时，评估是否会更多地基于刻板印象和种族偏见？ 使用三个指标：种族（如照片所示），种族的名字，以及成员主要是黑人的组织的成员。 随着候选人具备更多的这些属性，候选人的种族变得更强。 受访者被要求评估cadndiate对各种政策问题和感知候选人的意识形态，并表明他们的看法，非洲裔美国人。 这项研究还测试了当受访者必须从其他种族指标推断候选人的种族时，评估的差异。

The goal of this research is to understand the effects of strengthened racial cues in candidate evaluations. As the racial cue of the candidate is strengthened with multiple indicators of race, voters evaluate the candidate differently from a candidate whose race is not reinforced or strengthened. This research tests these effects regarding an African-American candidate. The research determines if respondents evaluate candidates negatively or favorably as the race of the candidate becomes stronger or is reinforced with other racial indicators. Furthermore, do voters make more stereotyped judgements as the racial cue is strengthened and is evaluation based more heavily on stereotypes and racial prejudice when the racial cue is strengthened? Three indicators are used: race (as indicated in a photo), ethnic first name, and membership in an organizatin whose members are predominatly black. As more of these attributes are present for the candidate, the race of the candidate become stronger. Respondents are asked to evaluate the cadndiate on a variety of policy questions and perceived candidate ideology, and to indicate their perceptions of African Americans. This research also tests for differences in evaluation when respondents must infer the race of the candidate from the other racial indicators.