Political Communication and Cognition

The reception of political communication is a highly important aspect of the process of politics. The way in which communication is received, how it is considered by the receiver, and with what impact, are key determinants of understanding how messages are acted upon, and so how support is gained for initiatives and how voter choices are influenced. This important study takes a psychological approach to exploring how audience members receive messages and what cognitive processes may take place. Cognition is explored drawing on theories from the field of communication psychology, applying them to the modern political environment using examples from a wide range of contexts, and a wide range of media, from television to Facebook. The book offers an in-depth and detailed theoretical framework and is the first work to position cognitive psychology at the heart of political communication and make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Darren G. Lilleker is Director of the Centre for Public Communication and Senior Lecturer in The Media School, Bournemouth University, UK. Dr Lilleker's expertise is in the professionalization and marketization of politics, in which he has published widely including Key Concepts in Political Communication (2006), and Political Campaigning, Elections and the Internet (2011) and has co-edited The Marketing of Political Parties (2006), Voters or Consumers (2008) and Political Marketing in Comparative Perspective (2005).

1. Thinking Politics – An Introduction
2. Strategic Political Communication
3. Schema Theory for Understanding Political Cognition
4. Political Conditioning
5. Peripheral Cues and Personality Politics
6. Proximity Politics and Valence
7. Emotion Involvement and Deep Cognition
8. Thinking Twice
9. Political Participation in a Digital Age
10. Voting and Voter Decision Making
11. Modeling Political Cognition