Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Communication Studies
Committee Chair
Theodore A. Avtgis.
Committee Co-Chair
Matthew M. Martin
Committee Member
Keith Weber
Abstract
The purpose of this examination is to determine the role of verbal aggression in Presidential debates. Using six types of verbally aggressive messages, coders examined one Presidential debate from nine Presidential elections to determine the amount of verbal aggression used by each candidate. The findings from this examination indicate that there is a pattern for the use of verbal aggression in Presidential debates. Challengers use significantly more verbal aggression than incumbents while five of the nine elections had the winner using less verbally aggressive messages than the loser. Results of this study support the theory that challengers are forced to go on the attack and use verbal aggression more often than incumbents. Implications of the results and paths for further research are also offered.
Recommended Citation
Sutton, Matthew Luke, "A candidate's use of aggressive communication and the electorates' response: Predicting presidential election outcomes" (2005). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 793.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/793