Collaborative Research: A New Design for Identifying Persuasion Effects and Selection in Media Exposure Experiments via Patient Preference Trials

媒体选择导致两极分化还是两极分化导致媒体选择？PI调查这两个因果过程中的一个或两个在多大程度上有助于政治态度的两极分化。采用从医学文献中的程序，PI设计和实施一个实验，使用强制选择和自由选择的情况。使用这一程序可以估计选择性曝光的程度，由志同道合的媒体的极化程度，以及由反态度媒体的跨党派通道的说服程度。这种方法还涉及估计的界限，或范围的治疗效果大小，导致在不同的亚组在某些假设下的选择environment.TechnicalDoes媒体选择导致极化或极化导致媒体选择？我们调查的程度，这两个因果过程中的一个或两个有助于态度极化。从医学文献中采用患者偏好试验程序，PI设计并实施了一个同时使用强制选择和自由选择场景的实验。使用这一程序可以估计选择性曝光的程度，由志同道合的媒体的极化程度，以及由反态度媒体的跨党派通道的说服程度。在方法上，PI还计算亚组特定治疗效应的非参数界限，并进行敏感性分析，以证明对稳定选择的某些假设的依赖性。

GeneralDoes media choice cause polarization or does polarization cause media choice? The PIs investigate the extent to which either or both of these two causal processes contribute to polarization of political attitudes. Adopting a procedure from the medical literature, the PIs design and implement an experiment that uses both a forced-choice and a free-choice scenario. Using this procedure allows for estimation of the degree of selective exposure, the degree of polarization by like-minded media, and the degree of persuasion across the partisan aisle by counter-attitudinal media. This method also involves estimation of bounds, or the range of treatment effect sizes that result in different subgroups under certain assumptions about the choice environment.TechnicalDoes media choice cause polarization or does polarization cause media choice? We investigate the extent to which either or both of these two causal processes contribute to attitude polarization. Adopting the patient preference trial procedure from the medical literature, the PIs design and implement an experiment that uses both a forced-choice and a free-choice scenario. Using this procedure allows for estimation of the degree of selective exposure, the degree of polarization by like-minded media, and the degree of persuasion across the partisan aisle by counter-attitudinal media. Methodologically, the PIs also compute nonparametric bounds on the subgroup-specific treatment effects and conduct sensitivity analyses to demonstrate the reliance on certain assumptions of stable choices.