Examining Motivations in Interpersonal Communication Experiments Connors Elizabeth C.
Examining Motivations in Interpersonal Communication Experiments Connors Elizabeth C. Does interpersonal political communication improve the quality of individual decision making? We argue that the…
Specifikacia Examining Motivations in Interpersonal Communication Experiments Connors Elizabeth C.
Examining Motivations in Interpersonal Communication Experiments Connors Elizabeth C.
Does interpersonal political communication improve the quality of individual decision making? We argue that the value of interpersonal political communication depends on the motivations of the people involved, which can be shifted by different contexts. While deliberative theorists offer reasons for hope, experimental researchers have demonstrated that biased messages can travel via interpersonal social networks.
We find that when individuals with more extreme preferences are motivated to acquire and share information, collective civic capacity is diminished. Using small-group experiments that randomly assign participants' motivations to seek or share information with others as well as their motivations for evaluating the information they receive, we demonstrate the importance of accounting for motivations in communication. But if we can stimulate the exchange of information among