Voters Make Quick, Shallow Decisions, Study Suggests

[TechBear_Seattle]

Voters Make Quick, Shallow Decisions, Study Suggests

Voters can judge a politician's competence in the blink of an eye—or so they think they can, a new study suggests.

Previous research hints that voters go for the most competent candidates, but the new analysis reveals people can forge steadfast opinions simply by glancing at a candidate's picture. The study highlights some of the shallow behaviors of a sizeable chunk of the voting population, said co-author Alexander Todorov, a psychologist at Princeton University.

"People are looking for the right information about a candidate, they're just looking in the wrong place," Todorov said. "We're seeing that snap judgments play a bigger role in voting than we thought."

The study's findings are detailed in the Oct. 22 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The article continues at http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20071022/sc_livescience/votersmakequickshallowdecisionsstudysuggests

[Dover]

1. Candidates give quick, shallow speeches, Media gives quick, shallow coverage.n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Excellent points

Sound-bite candidates and sound-bite coverage create sound-bite voters.

However, the research seems to indicate that while many voters seek out substance, they are still mainly influenced by form. If you don't look the part, you won't get elected.

[TwilightZone]

6. Very true.

A voter makes decisions based on the information they obtain. Unless they see the candidates in person or do some research, the only view they get is of the short-attention-span variety.

[goddess40]

2. Look what's squatting in our White House is proof enough

I don't believe he legally holds the position but the fact that enough idiots voted for him that allowed the vote to be close enough to be tampered with is proof that too many people don't know shit about those they vote for. Does it happen on our side as well - you bet look at all the support for Hillary

[TwilightZone]

4. Sounds like much of GD: Politics

:)

[cuke]

8. Many DUer make "snap decisions" about the candidates

You see it every day on DU.

[Captain Hilts]

5. The taller candidate nearly always wins....

GWB is the exception here.

[TwilightZone]

7. It can, of course, be argued that he didn't win.

He lost the popular vote in '00, and questions abound about '04, of course.

So, perhaps the theory holds.

[Totally Committed]

9. I can file this in my "NSS" file...

NSS = No shit, Sherlock

Like we couldn't tell already. :eyes:

TC