The impact of relational messages on candidate influence in televised political debates

Abstract

This investigation examines the nature and impact of candidates' relational messages on their persuasiveness during the first 1988 Bush and Dukakis presidential debate. The underlying assumption of the preponderance of existing research on televised political debates is that, to the extent that debates influence viewers at all, they do so via their content. This investigation maintains that, since television stresses the visual channel, elevating the perception of intimacy and expressiveness in human communication, candidates' relational messages should contribute significantly to their persuasiveness in televised political debates. Results of the study support this prediction, suggesting a combination of relational message themes that enhance candidate influence.

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