Accessibility, priming, and political judgment

Classic and contemporary approaches to understanding political judgment implicitly acknowledged the role of chronic accessibility. Contemporary models also emphasize that situationally primed knowledge structures influence citizens' political attitudes and opinions. Priming effects are evident when specific concepts are primed (e.g., an issue, the American Flag, terrorism), and when media frames activate narratives that prime specific aspects of a political event. Metaphoric media frames (e.g., the presidential campaign is a horserace) can prime or highlight specific aspects of a political event (e.g., candidate electability) and thereby influence the public's attitudes and opinion (e.g., attitudes toward a political candidate). The immediate context in which political judgments are reported also produces priming effects on political judgment.