Replication Data for: The Physiology of Framing Effects: Threat Sensitivity and the Persuasiveness of Political Arguments

Framing effects are among the most commonly studied type of political information that shapes public opinion. We advance research on differences in susceptibility to framing effects by exploring whether, and how, physiological traits condition responses to messages in the political environment. In particular, we propose that the effectiveness of a frame depends on how well that frame’s argument matches the physiological predisposition or “outlook” of the recipient. We hypothesize that individuals who possess particular traits (we focus on physiological threat sensitivity) are more likely to be persuaded by frames that trigger those predispositions. To test this claim, we replicate and extend Nelson, Clawson, and Oxley’s (1997) landmark framing experiment about political tolerance in response to a Ku Klux Klan rally. We find that participants high in threat sensitivity are more susceptible to frames that invoke physical danger suggesting that physiological predispositions can help explain the influence of framing effects.