Chapter Six

Question 1

Agent of Political Socialization

Answer 1

a person or entity that teaches and influences others about politics through use of information; most prominent = family and school; friends and media

Question 2

Bandwagon Effect

Answer 2

Increased media coverage of candidates who poll higher than those who poll lowly

Question 3

Bradley Effect

Answer 3

the difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist

Question 4

Classical Liberalism

Answer 4

A political ideology based on belief in individual in individual liberties and rights and the idea of free will, with little role for government

Question 5

Communism

Answer 5

A political and economic system in which, in theory, government promotes common ownership of all property, means of production, and materials to prevent the exploitation of workers while creating an equal society; in practice, most communist governments have used force to maintain control

Question 6

Covert Content

Answer 6

Ideologically slanted information presented as unbiased information in order to influence public opinion

Question 7

Diffuse Support

Answer 7

The widespread belief that a country and its legal system are legitimate

Question 8

Exit Poll

Answer 8

an election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place; interviewers stand out of the polling places on election days

Question 9

Fascism

Answer 9

political system of total control by the ruling party or political leader over the economy, the military/society/culture/the private lives of citizens

Question 10

Favorability Poll

Answer 10

A public opinion poll that measures a public’s positive feelings about a candidate or politician

Question 11

Heuristics

Answer 11

shortcuts or rules of thumb for decision making

Question 12

Horserace Coverage

Answer 12

day-to-day media coverage of candidate performance in election

Question 13

Leading Question

Answer 13

A question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer; leads respondents to select a predetermined answer

Question 14

Margin of Error

Answer 14

A number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens; lower margin of error, the more predictive the poll –> large ones are an issue

Question 15

Modern Conservatism

Answer 15

a political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy

Question 16

Modern Liberalism

Answer 16

A political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality

Question 17

Overt Content

Answer 17

political information whose author makes clear that only one side is presented

Question 18

Political Culture

Answer 18

The prevailing political attitudes and beliefs within a society or region

Question 19

Political Elite

Answer 19

A political opinion leader who alerts the public to changes or problems; important political opinion leaders

Question 20

Political Socialization

Answer 20

The process of learning the norms and practices of a political system through others and societal institutions

Question 21

Public Opinion

Answer 21

A collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic/person/event

Question 22

Push Poll

Answer 22

Politically biased campaign information presented as a poll in order to change minds

Question 23

Random Sample

Answer 23

a limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen

Question 24

representative sample

Answer 24

a group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest

Question 25

socialism

Answer 25

a political and economic system in which government uses its authority to promote social and economic equality, providing everyone with basic services and equal opportunities and requiring citizens with more wealth to contribute more

Question 26

Straw Poll

Answer 26

an informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population; tradition continued by media

Question 27

Theory of delegate representation

Answer 27

a theory that assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people and to vote only as the people want

Question 28

Traditional conservatism

Answer 28

a political ideology supporting the authority of the monarchy and the church in the belief that government provides the rule of law.

Question 29

beliefs

Answer 29

closely held ideas that support our values and expectations about life and politics

Question 30

socialized(verb; to be)

Answer 30

learning from many information sources about the society/community in which we live and how we are to behave in it

Question 31

Polarization

Answer 31

in regards to citizen beliefs, refers to more polarized/widely opposed views over the last decade

Question 32

Framing

Answer 32

Choosing the way information is presented; affects the way a story is perceived

Question 33

Heuristics

Answer 33

Shortcuts or rules of thumb for decision making; ex is political party membership

Question 34

Political Cultures

Answer 34

a unique culture within states with different state governments instilling different attitudes and beliefs in their citizens