Abstract
In this study we followed the extension of Tversky’s research about features of similarity with its application to open sets. Unlike the original closed-set model in which a feature was shifted between a common and a distinctive set, we investigated how addition of new features and deletion of existing features affected similarity judgments. The model was tested empirically in a political context and we analyzed how positive and negative changes in a candidate’s profile affect the similarity of the politician to his or her ideal and opposite counterpart. The results showed a positive–negative asymmetry in comparison judgments where enhancing negative features (distinctive for an ideal political candidate) had a greater effect on judgments than operations on positive (common) features. However, the effect was not observed for comparisons to a bad politician. Further analyses showed that in the case of a negative reference point, the relationship between similarity judgments and voting intention was mediated by the affective evaluation of the candidate.
Highlights
The perception and interpretation of the world depends on the comparisons people make and reference points they adopt
The results indicated visible differences in the effect of positive and negative valence framing on evaluations of two candidates
We analyzed the simple effect of the number of positive and negative features in the description of a political candidate
Summary
The perception and interpretation of the world depends on the comparisons people make and reference points they adopt. Preference formation and decision-making (Tversky and Kahneman, 1986) showed that the criteria on which people based their decisions were malleable and dependent on changing circumstances as well as the way a problem was formulated. The point of reference created an interpretative frame for the evaluation of observed reality. Numerous studies about the effect of framing on evaluations and the effectiveness of persuasive messages in political and social contexts have shown different ways in which various frames – adopted by individuals or imposed by others – affect the perception of objects or events (i.e., Chong and Druckman, 2007; Cwalina and Falkowski, 2015)
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