Do attitudes toward political advertising affect information processing of televised political commercials?

Abstract

This study tested whether attitudes toward politics and political advertising correlated with specific responses to issue/image, attack/support ads and the candidates who sponsored the ads. Memory, attitudinal, and emotional responses to the ads were measured. Liking for attack advertising, liking political ads for their information content and for their entertainment value, and interest in the political process all correlated primarily with attitudes toward and emotional responses to specific kinds of commercials.