East Carolina University
Department of Psychology

Classically Conditioned Attitudes:  Barry Goldwater, Lyndon Johnson, Daisy, and Nuclear Bombs

   As noted in class, political campaigns use classical conditioning to make you associate nice things with the candidate who is paying for the ad and nasty things with the opposing candidate.  For many decades political candidates have pictured themselves kissing babies (a nice thing), but since 1964 the more effective strategy seems to have been creating associations between the opposition and bad things.

    In 1964 Republican Barry Goldwater was running against Democrat Lyndon Johnson.  Goldwater had a reputation for being a hard liner on defense, and he was not always very careful about what he said in that regard.  For example, he once said "Let's lob one (nuclear bomb) into the men's room at the Kremlin."  The Democrats effectively exploited this weakness, running television advertisements that associated Goldwater with nuclear bombs, death, and destruction and associating Johnson with happiness, safety, and maternity.   Although it aired only briefly, the Daisy ad was especially powerful.