Shanto Iyengar

Research agenda is truly broad, ranging from a test of agenda setting theory on TV viewers, to the effect of negative political advertising on voter turnout, to his most recent work on the biases inherent in how people form opinions about political candidates. This work also contributed to understanding how the current media environment led to individual perceptions of politics through framing effects, as well as how media proliferation contributed to political polarization through individualized selective attention. His ideas on how the news is framed affects political campaigns and elections have permeated the political science literature and have made him a valuable contributor to media outlets during elections. As important as his findings, though, is the fact that his research paradigm broadened the social scientific understanding of the merits of laboratory research and experimental design. As a result of his efforts, laboratory experiments are gaining increased traction in political science as valid tools of inquiry. Additionally, his interdisciplinary work helped to bridge the gap between politics and psychology, which is important for the growth of both sciences.