“I Don’t Care About Politics, I Just Like That Guy!” Affective Disposition and Political Attributes in Information Processing of Political Talk Shows

Abstract

Drawing on the affect infusion model and on affective disposition theory, this study aims to explain the influence of viewers’ affective disposition toward the guests of political TV talk shows on their information processing and judgments. The affective disposition was manipulated in an experiment. Results suggest that this affective disposition remained stable during exposure to the program, leading to predetermined information processing of the discussed political issue and a judgment that is consistent with the one made by the guest. Without prior manipulation of affective disposition, affective involvement with the issue influenced the viewers’ judgments instead, indicating open information processing.