Journal article
Remembering and Voting: Theory and Evidence from Amnesic Patients
American journal of political science, Vol.56(4), pp.837-848
10/2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2012.00608.x
PMCID: PMC3917545
PMID: 24511170
Abstract
One of the most prominent claims to emerge from the field of public opinion is that citizens can vote for candidates whose issue positions best reflect their own beliefs even when they cannot remember previously learned stances associated with the candidates. The current experiment provides a unique and powerful examination of this claim by determining whether individuals with profound amnesia, whose severe memory impairments prevent them from remembering specific issue information associated with any particular candidate, can vote for candidates whose issue positions come closest to their own political views. We report here that amnesic patients, despite not being able to remember any issue information, consistently voted for candidates with favored political positions. Thus, sound voting decisions do not require recall or recognition of previously learned associations between candidates and their issue positions. This result supports a multiple memory systems model of political decision making.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Remembering and Voting: Theory and Evidence from Amnesic Patients
- Creators
- Jason C Coronel - University of Illinois, Department of Political Science, 1407 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801Melissa C Duff - University of Iowa, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, 250 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242David E Warren - University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242Kara D Federmeier - University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820Brian D Gonsalves - University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820Daniel Tranel - University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242Neal J Cohen - University of Illinois, Department of Psychology, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- American journal of political science, Vol.56(4), pp.837-848
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2012.00608.x
- PMID
- 24511170
- PMCID
- PMC3917545
- NLM abbreviation
- Am J Pol Sci
- ISSN
- 0092-5853
- eISSN
- 1540-5907
- Grant note
- R01 MH062500 || MH / National Institute of Mental Health : NIMH
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2012
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984001106902771
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