공중의 정치 쟁점 틀짓기 = 프라이밍, 지각, 그리고 인지적 틀짓기

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

By synthesizing theories of priming and framing effects, this study proposes the cognitive framing concept. Mass media covers various aspects of a political issue, and frequent coverage of a certain aspect becomes salient so a semantic meaning of the aspect is readily accessible in mind and activated when people express their opinions. However, when various aspects and arguments are available by priming, the cognitive salience is determined by how individuals sensitively respond to each message. As schema governs cognitive processing of available information and top-down information processing occurs, individuals perceptually select primed information and a particular message, which is perceived relatively more salient, becomes more accessible and readily activated. This process is called cognitive framing and an absolute threshold model as a mathematical index that indicates cognitive accessibility are employed. As a primary variable that determines cognitive framing, this study focuses on prior attitudes: attitude importance, positive attitude, and negative attitude. That is, prior attitudes function to induce sensitivity to primed information so that it becomes more accessible. However, extreme attitudes come with perceptual constancy and thus sensitivity to primed information becomes lower. This assumption posits a nonlinear relationship between attitudes and absolute thresholds of cognitive framing.
This hypothesis was applied to the abortion issue by analyzing 1972 ~ 1982 General Social Survey items containing open-ended questions to measure recall of primes. Following five hypotheses were made:
H1. Prior attitudes have a nonlinear relationship with absolute thresholds of cognitive framing.
H2. Extremely positive attitude toward abortion leads to lower threshold for cognitive framing of pro-choice, which is an ideological discourse of pro-abortion arguments. Meanwhile, negative attitude toward abortion is likely to result in higher threshold for cognitive framing of the ideological meaning.
H3. The stronger positive attitude toward legalized abortion is, the more likely it leads to cognitive framing of women's health and birth defects.
H4. The stronger negative attitude toward legalized abortion is, the more likely it leads to cognitive framing of women's health and birth defects.
H5. Priming inhibits prior knowledge so that absolute threshold for prior knowledge activation becomes higher when priming is occurred than when no primed information is available.
In order to test the nonlinear relationship between attitudes and cognitive framing, log transformation was made and polytomous logistic regression was conducted. By using logit coefficients and ratio between frequency of prime recall and frequency of no response, the absolute thresholds were calculated. This analysis revealed all the hypotheses were true.
There are several implications to be discussed. First, this study first proposed the cognitive framing concept by synthesizing priming theory, framing theory, and perceptions. Further, this study model, which placed attitudes as an antecedent of information processing, provides new insights and implications for public opinion research. Second, this study contributes to methodological advancement of the priming and framing studies given that it first analyzed survey data collected from a national sample, simulating experimental procedures of priming of framed messages that has been traditionally conducted in experimental laboratory. Also, the open -ended questions revealed how information is processed and represented in the public's mind under a framing scheme. Third, the current model seems to be one of appropriate methods to test election campaign and voting behavior specifically given that voters cognitively frame campaign information in light of either candidate image or an election issue. Forth, the current study, in line with the minimal effects of media and th