TY - JOUR
T1 - Fostering learning among women
T2 - the democratic outcomes of elaborative primes
AU - Jennings, Freddie J.
AU - Wexler, Kelsey
AU - Willingham, Gabrielle
AU - Kenski, Kate
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Eastern Communication Association.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The gender political knowledge gap has proven to be persistent and pervasive. It extends across time, geography, and cultures. When it comes to national politics, women demonstrate lower political knowledge than men, and this has a detrimental effect on a deliberative democracy. The current study employed an elaborative and political socialization theoretical perspective in addressing the gender political knowledge gap. Through an experimental design and structural equation modeling, antecedents and outcomes of political learning for women were investigated. Three conditions were created through exposure to articles before watching a televised presidential debate. Women were either given a motivation prime, which explained how a political issue related specifically to women; an ability prime that provided background information on an issue; or a nonpolitical prime. Both the motivation and ability (through increased elaboration) enhanced learning. The enhanced learning predicted increased intentions to discuss the issue and seek additional issue-relevant information.
AB - The gender political knowledge gap has proven to be persistent and pervasive. It extends across time, geography, and cultures. When it comes to national politics, women demonstrate lower political knowledge than men, and this has a detrimental effect on a deliberative democracy. The current study employed an elaborative and political socialization theoretical perspective in addressing the gender political knowledge gap. Through an experimental design and structural equation modeling, antecedents and outcomes of political learning for women were investigated. Three conditions were created through exposure to articles before watching a televised presidential debate. Women were either given a motivation prime, which explained how a political issue related specifically to women; an ability prime that provided background information on an issue; or a nonpolitical prime. Both the motivation and ability (through increased elaboration) enhanced learning. The enhanced learning predicted increased intentions to discuss the issue and seek additional issue-relevant information.
KW - Gendered political knowledge gap
KW - elaboration
KW - political learning
KW - presidential debate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133008563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/01463373.2022.2095216
DO - 10.1080/01463373.2022.2095216
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85133008563
SN - 0146-3373
VL - 70
SP - 519
EP - 536
JO - Communication Quarterly
JF - Communication Quarterly
IS - 5
ER -