Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Uncertainty On Explanatory Preference, Eli Schwartz-Yermack

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Previous research on political extremism has led to two competing perspectives. One views extremists as being more knowledgeable and informed about politics than moderates, while the other claims it is moderates who know more. These two views appear to have arisen from studies that examined different types of political knowledge. This phenomenon could be explained by extremists and moderates having different preferences when it comes to their consumption of political information. We hypothesized that participants indirectly manipulated to feel more extreme conviction in their political views by manipulating them to feel uncertain would prefer more simple explanations of political issues …

Saving This Honorable Court: Supreme Court Legitimacy And Support For Court Reform, Nathan Thomas Carrington

Dissertations - ALL

For the first time in nearly a century, serious conversations are taking place involving re- form of the Nation's highest court. Scholarly wisdom holds that such discussions indicate a decrease of the Court's legitimacy which will have detrimental effects on the rule of law and minority rights. Indeed, several generations of political science scholarship have exam- ined the relationship between institutional support for the Supreme Court and its ability to exercise judicial power effectively, all finding a strong relationship. Do reform efforts actu- ally signal a collapse in Court legitimacy and the death of the rule of law as we …

The Social Identity Approach To Leadership: The Case Of Alberta, Samuel Routley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The study of political leadership within the discipline of the political science has recently grown into a large, complex, and insightful literature. However, the extensive number of concepts, theories, and frameworks developed by international leadership scholars have been underutilized when it comes to developing further understanding of political leadership in the Canadian context. This thesis attempts to address this gap by focusing on the process by which individuals are selected to be leaders. I utilizes social psychology and Identity Leadership Theory to theorize that leaders are successful to the extent that are able to cohere with broader group processes by …

Human Rights, Emotion, And Critical Realism: Proposing An Emotional Ontology Of International Human Rights, Ben Luongo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a critical realist framework of human rights and argues that emotion plays a foundational role in constituting a human rights ontology. I build this framework as a critical response to other IR human rights theories which have largely been developed in accordance with either empiricist or rationalist paradigms. Both empiricist and rationalist theories fail to articulate a firm ontological foundation which can support their human rights claims.

This ontological concern may not seem too important for human rights scholars interested in more substantive political issues, but it does lead to problems because no human rights theory is …

The Psychological Basis Of Threat Perception And Its Effect On The Use Of Force By Us Presidents, Collin J. Kazazis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis creates a new variable for threat perception built upon psychological concepts and then applies this new variable to the question of why leaders use military force in certain situations. The concept of threat perception has a long history in the field in terms of its effect on leaders choosing to use military force. However, while the concept of threat perception is inherently psychological, previous proxies for the variable have included only situational factors, which is highly problematic. By utilizing the Operational Code, this study creates a new threat-perception variable based on cognitive constructs. Using a sample of US …

Applause, Laughter, Chants, And Cheers: An Analysis Of The Rhetorical Skill Of The “Great Communicator”, Reagan Gresham Dye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study takes a content analytic approach to analyze the use of rhetorical devices in televised Republican National Convention (RNC) addresses by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. By measuring rhetorical strategies and their relationship with the type, strength, synchrony, and duration of audience responses during the 1976, 1980, 1984, and 1992 RNCs, this study finds that Reagan had the ability to control speech factors to his advantage to promote positive audience response. This study finds that Reagan was adept at utilizing humor, external attacks, and advocating for his policy agenda in a way that elicited positive audience responses such as …

Mao Zedong And Xi Jinping: A Trait Analysis, Dan Douglas

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study uses Margaret Hermann’s Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA) to compare Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping and see if they have the same style. Through a content analysis of a leader’s speeches, researchers can gain insight into a leader’s motivation for obtaining office and power. In the course of this research, 167 speeches by Mao, and 79 Speeches by Xi were inputted into the content analysis program Profiler+ (Hermann, 2003). The analysis showed that Mao and Xi have some similarities in their LTA results, but the differences in their scores indicate different approaches to leadership. An analysis of the context …

Mao Zedong And Xi Jinping: A Trait Analysis, Dan Douglas

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study uses Margaret Hermann's Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA) to compare Mao Zedong and Xi Jinping and see if they have the same style. Through a content analysis of a leader's speeches, researchers can gain insight into a leader's motivation for obtaining office and power. In the course of this research, 167 speeches by Mao, and 79 Speeches by Xi were inputted into the content analysis program Profiler+ (Hermann, 2003). The analysis showed that Mao and Xi have some similarities in their LTA results, but the differences in their scores indicate different approaches to leadership. An analysis of the context …

Operational Code And Al-Ikhwan: An Assessment Of The Evolution Of The Muslim Brotherhood's Operational Code And Possible Public Diplomacy Options For The United States, Robert Kevin Thomson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The primary aim of this Thesis is to provide the reader with a firm understanding of the evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood's operational code from the early 2000s to 2013. Specifically, this research will address and analyze the evolution of the Brotherhood's political rhetoric from its historical context to the present. The Brotherhood's political rhetoric will be analyzed utilizing Operational Code Analysis. The secondary aim of this research is to provide a potential framework for policymakers and diplomats to utilize public diplomacy and strategic communication strategies to engage and constrain the influence of the Brotherhood in a globalized society. This …

Constructing Threat: How Americans Identify Economic Competitors, Shelley D. Wick

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

China’s emergence as an economic powerhouse has often been portrayed as threatening to America’s economic strength and to its very identity as “the global hegemon.” The media’s alarmist response to an economic competitor is familiar to those who remember US-Japanese relations in the 1980s. In order to better understand the basis of American threat perception, this study explores the independent and interactive impact of three variables (perceptions of the Other’s capabilities, perceptions of the Other as a threat versus as an opportunity, and perceptions of the Other’s political culture) on attitudes toward two different economic competitors (Japan 1977-1995 and China …

Tv Casualties: The Negative Impact Of Political Messages In Non-News Programs, Salvatore James Russo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior works in the social sciences have demonstrated the importance that television can have in shaping the views and outlooks of viewers. Studies have examined how it is that overtly political broadcasting, such as political commercials or ideological cable news channels, can impact viewers. However, precious little scholarship in the field of political science has been devoted to examining how non-news programming, the lion's share of what is shown on television, can shape and mold viewers' outlooks and opinions. Television programming is often built around conflict, presenting a distorted view of the world wherein certain "in-groups," mainly the assumed audience …

Trends. Psychological Research As Support From And Support For Terrorism, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the political psychological impact of terrorism.

Wanted: A Political Psychology, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes guidelines for a political psychology curriculum that could be pursued by the academic, the academic student, and the autodidact.

Trends. When Governments Want Government To Change, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses regime change in Germany and Iraq in a political psychological context.

Psychodynamics And Politics: Psychic Reality And Mental Representation, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores some implications for political psychology of semantic differences concerning psychoanalytic jargon.

Trends. False Consciousness And Contemporary Psychological Research, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Most professional psychological organizations purport to create knowledge and provide services for human welfare. Yet these organizations may support research traditions that can very easily be exploited by political authorities working to maintain political power and exploit citizenry. The article discusses how the consciousnesses of psychologists in the psychological organizations purporting to do good can themselves be exemplars of false consciousness.

Trends. Psychological Pathways To Suicidal Terrorism, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses psychological pathways to suicidal terrorism. This discussion includes aspects of both social cognition and social learning, as well as philosophical psychology.

Preventive Psychology As Political Psychology: Illicit Drugs And Alcohol, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes ideological elements behind scientific positions on the primary prevention of illicit drug and alcohol abuse.

The Import Of Political Psychology For Global Health And Security: The Case Of Aids, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes a number of applied research areas that political psychologists can explore to help manage the threat to global health and security from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Trends. Hard On Defense As Soft On Defense: A Recurring Vulnerability Of The Nation-State, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the psychologies surrounding the idea of being "hard" on defense.

Trends. Political Psychologies And The Welfare Of Elian Gonzalez, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses issues surrounding the rescue of 6-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez.

Trends. Syria, Israel, And The Power Of Money, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article the political psychology and role of aid in the Middle East, focusing on the conflict between Israel and Syria.

Trends. Defenses Of Anti-Ballistic Missile Defenses, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses the belief by opponents of developing new and improved anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defenses,that such a change may risk a new nuclear weapons arms race.

Trends. The Political Psychology Of Abortion And United Nations Funding, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses United States (US) executive and legislative branches meddling in international policy, especially as it relates to abortion.

Trends. Defending Positions On Missile Defense: A Case Of Negative Transference?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses the United States Government's(USG) proposed plan to go ahead with a national missile defense system against attacks by so-called rogue nation-states, terrorist groups, and other non-state actors.

Trends. The Political Psychology Of Expansion Of Labor Rights For Illegal Immigrants, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses the EEOC's recent decision to extend various anti-discrimination rights to illegal immigrants.

Trends. The Myth Of Apolitical Humanitarianism: The Nobel Prize And Doctors Without Borders, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the politics of humanitarian work.

Trends. The Pros And Cons Of Decapitation: An Example From Dagestan, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article explores the pros and cons of destroying or severely degrading the strategic command, control, and communication (C3) assets of a politico-military adversary--i.e., decapitation.

Trends. Enemy Images And The Inscrutable Chinese: Implications For United States/People's Republic Of China Trade Talks, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses the United States (US) foreign policy towards the Chinese nation.

Trends. Kosovo: The Latest Reification Of Boundaries?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the boundary issues of Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo.