IX Doctoral Symposium CECS

This research built upon a prior master's thesis that explored the impact of colour changes in the campaign materials of the Socialist Party (PS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) during the 2017 Local Elections in Montijo. The earlier study investigated whether altering the traditional colours associated with political parties could lead voters to misattribute candidates or messages to the wrong party. While the findings provided valuable insights into the underexplored role of colour in communication sciences, the study did not yield definitive results. The research highlighted that, even in a specific local context, historical memory played a limited role in helping voters identify party affiliations based on altered colour schemes. Serving as an exploratory study, it also developed methodologies for analysing the influence of colour in electoral campaigns. This continuation of the research proposes addressing gaps in the literature by incorporating neuroscience technologies. By leveraging these advanced tools, the study aims to provide a more precise understanding of the psychological and behavioural impacts of colour in political communication, offering deeper insights into its influence on voter perceptions and decisions.