Professor of Psychology Melissa J. Ferguson discusses the election in an article published in Scientific American. She analyzes the question: Can presidential candidates get a second chance to make a first impression? Studies have shown that the voters' first impression of the candidates are important when voters cast their ballots, so is it possible for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, both of whom have a high unfavorability rating, to get voters to like them? Explicit attitude is what we easily feel and report to others, while implicit impressions are those that we aren't always conscious of and they often predict decisons and behaviors. Her lab's recent work has found that first impressions, although difficult to modify, can still be changed.
Is it too late for Trump and Clinton to become more likable?
Scientific American, The Conversation
April 13, 2016