Thank you for taking an interest in my research. This page is designed to give you a quick overview of some of my 2018 conference presentations. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
2018 Midwestern Political Science Association (MPSA) Conference
Title: I Don’t Want to See You Any More: Efforts to Prolong or Shorten Exposure to Political Stimuli
Authors: Clarisse Warren, Stephen Schneider, Kevin B. Smith, and John R. Hibbing
Abstract: How much effort are people willing to expend in order to maximize or minimize their exposure to politicians and causes they either find favorable or unfavorable? In this paper, we present a measure of political effort, which has previously not been applied within the political domain: a keypress task. Using this keypress task and a sample of undergraduate students at a midwestern university, we examine the amount of effort (number of key presses) individuals are willing to exert to maintain or remove political and non-political images. Previous research has provided evidence of a negativity bias, such that we find support for our hypothesis that individuals will work harder to get rid of negative images than they will to keep up positive images. Given the polarized nature of American politics, we expected that patterns of effort for political stimuli would parallel patterns of effort for non-political stimuli. We found that partisans were more willing to exert effort to maintain images of politicians from their same party and remove politicians of the opposing party. Finally, we provide evidence that participant political extremity moderates the relationship between ideology and effort exerted during the keypress task when it comes to political figures. This keypress task provides researchers with a unique tool to measure political effort, apart from more conventional methods of self-report or observation.
Title: If there’s no party, should I try if I want to?: A Natural Experiment Examining
Female Candidates in Nonpartisan State Legislative Elections in Nebraska and Minnesota
Author: Clarisse Warren
Abstract: Previous studies have produced conflicting evidence on the effects of electoral structures on the success of female candidates. Using a unique data set covering state legislative election outcomes from 1960 to 2016 in Nebraska and Minnesota, I examine whether female candidates have differential electoral success in the absence of party identification cues. The comparison of Nebraska’s nonpartisan unicameral races and Minnesota’s transition from nonpartisan to partisan elections provides a natural experiment to examine the role of partisanship in female electoral success. The findings from this study suggest that while fewer women in Nebraska run for state legislative office, those who do run are more likely to win in general elections. In Minnesota, twice as many women run for state senate seats but a smaller percentage of women who run are elected – suggesting that partisanship more than gender plays a role in electoral outcomes. These findings suggest that the absence of party identification does not disadvantage female candidates at the state legislative level and, in fact, that female candidates in Nebraska may have an electoral advantage over their male counterparts.
2018 Nebraska Symposium on Motivation
(Lincoln, Nebraska, USA)
Title: Pressing Politics: Measuring Political Approach and Avoidance Behavior
Authors: Clarisse Warren, Stephen P. Schneider, Samantha J. Lauf, Kevin B. Smith, and John R. Hibbing
Poster Presentation found here: Warren_Clarisse
clarissewarren.wordpress.com 