Mapping the territory where political science and psychology intersect, Explorations in Political Psychology offers a broad overview of the the field of political psychology—from its historical evolution as an area of inquiry to the rich and eclectic array of theories, concepts, and methods that mark it as an emerging discipline. In introductory essays, editors Shanto Iyengar and William J. McGuire identify the points of exchange between the disciplines represented and discuss the issues that make up the subfields of political psychology. Bringing together leading scholars from social psychology and political science, the following sections discuss attitude research (the study of political attitudes and opinions); cognition and information-processing (the relationship between the structures of human information-processing and political and policy preferences); and decision making (how people make decisions about political preferences). As a comprehensive introduction to a growing field of interdisciplinary concern, Explorations in Political Psychology will prove a useful guide for historians, social psychologists, and political scientists with an interest in individual political behavior. Contributors . Stephen Ansolabehere, Donald Granberg, Shanto Iyengar, Robert Jervis, Milton Lodge, Roger D. Masters, William J. McGuire, Victor C. Ottati, Samuel L. Popkin, William M. Runyan, David O. Sears, Patrick Stroh, Denis G. Sullivan, Philip E. Tetlock, Robert S. Wyer, Jr. " Explorations in Political Psychology provides a much-needed framework for organizing the multi-disciplinary, multi-method research that characterizes the field of political psychology. The authors have also assembled some of the best examples of that research. The volume is equally useful to the beginning student and the advanced researcher."—Gregory Markus, University of Michigan "This book will be indispensable to any serious student of political psychology. The editors, themselves among the most prominent schoalrs in the field, have brought together a first-rate lineup of authors. Not only are the chapters comprehensive, but they offer [many] ideas for future research. More than anything else, this reader says that political psychology has a bright future."—James H. Kuklinski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "This book will be indispensable to any serious student of political psychology. The editors, themselves among the most prominent schoalrs in the field, have brought together a first-rate lineup of authors. Not only are the chapters comprehensive, but they offer [many] ideas for future research. More than anything else, this reader says that political psychology has a bright future."--James H. Kuklinski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Shanto Iyengar is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. William J. McGuire is Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Explorations in Political Psychology By Shanto Iyengar, William J. McGuire Duke University Press Copyright © 1993 Duke University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8223-1324-3 Contents Tables and Figures, Acknowledgments, I Interdisciplinary Cross-Fertilization, 1. An Overview of the Field of Political Psychology, 2. The Poly-Psy Relationship: Three Phases of a Long Affair, 3. Psychohistory and Political Psychology: A Comparative Analysis, II Attitudes and Behavior, 4. Political Perception, 5. Symbolic Politics: A Socio-Psychological Theory, 6. Nonverbal Behavior and Leadership: Emotion and Cognition in Political Information Processing, 7. The Psychology of Group Conflict and the Dynamics of Oppression: A Social Dominance Perspective, III Information Processing and Cognition, 8. Inside the Mental Voting Booth: An Impression-Driven Process Model of Candidate Evaluation, 9. Political Information Processing, 10. Affect and Political Judgment, IV Decision Making and Choice, 11. Information and Electoral Attitudes: A Case of Judgment Under Uncertainty, 12. The Drunkard's Search, 13. Decision Making in Presidential Primaries, 14. Cognitive Structural Analysis of Political Rhetoric: Methodological and Theoretical Issues, References, Index, Contributors, CHAPTER 1 An Overview of the Field of Political Psychology Political psychology is the field of inquiry at the intersection of political science and psychology. Political scientists, psychologists, historians, psychiatrists, sociologists, and legal scholars have all contributed to this body of research. The primary objective of this volume is to survey areas of current interdisciplinary interest and to illustrate the rich eclecticism of the theories, concepts, and methods that make up research in political psychology, while giving emphasis to what we regard as the most promising trends. In their present form, the various social sciences are largely autonomous and parochial enterprises. In imperialistic fashion, politi