THE 1992 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND DEBATES - A COGNITIVE VIEW

The 1992 presidential campaign, especially its presidential debates, p roduced cognitive, affective, and emotive effects which the Cognigraph ics research method was able to distinguish. George Bush's campaign de cline was dramatically etched in respondent cognitions. Bill Clinton s urvived early emotion and continuing affective disadvantage to win the election on what seemed clearly cognitive grounds-the country's need for a change by someone seen as capable of changing things. Ross Perot was strongly criticized for dropping out of the race, but his debate performance turned around his affective picture, even though responden ts seemed unconvinced that he was capable of making the needed changes .