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How People Organize the Political World: A Schematic Model
Abstract
A schematic model of political belief systems based on recent research in social and cognitive psychology is developed. We show that schema theory has the ability to bridge the gaps among the major competing approaches to the study of mass belief systems as well as provide direction for new research on the structure and functioning of political beliefs. An initial test of the theory, done with Q methodology, is reported and the results provide consistent support for the general predictions of schema theory as applied to political beliefs.
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“In light of the schema theory, scholars of public opinion have posited that individuals' political opinion is often organized in a coherent structure of attitudes in which domain-specific opinions are grounded in a broader set of political beliefs (or”
From Do Search Algorithms Endanger Democracy? An Experimental Investigation of Algorithm Effects on Political Polarization (2020) · cites this paper as Conover & Feldman, 1984
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Metadata
- Authors
- Conover, P. J., & Feldman, S.
- Venue
- American Journal of Political Science
- Publisher
- JSTOR
- Published
- 1984-02
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 95
- ISSN
- 0092-5853 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2035701098
- Cited by
- 378
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 12.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Political Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › General Social Sciences › Q Methodology Applications
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
- Keywords
- schema theory, political beliefs, political cognition, schematic model, Q methodology, political psychology
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