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A substantial body of scholarship highlights the role of core values as elements of liberalism–conservatism. However, researchers have yet to fully appreciate the contribution of premises, or abstract descriptive beliefs. This disjuncture has occurred despite the fact that for centuries, philosophers have used premises about human nature and society to ground their religious, political and economic theories. In the observational and experimental studies described in this article, the authors examine the extent to which such premise disputes stand independently from value conflicts as ideological ingredients. The findings suggest that premises are distinct and meaningful elements of political cognition, analogous in importance to several well-worn values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores whether Democratic voters emphasize different traits when evaluating potential party nominees than do Republican voters. Using data obtained from the only two electoral cycles in the modern era in which competitive races took place for both the Republican and Democratic nominations (1988 and 2000), we present evidence that Democratic primary voters tend to place the greatest weight on perceived candidate compassion, whereas Republicans are more likely to rely on perceived personal virtue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]