Computational Experiments in Candidate Evaluation and Vote Choice

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This research investigation brings together research and methods from behavioral decision theory and computational modeling to explore process theories of voting. Combining survey data with computer simulations, in what is called computational experiments, the investigators can compare and evaluate process theories of candidate evaluation and choice. The investigators undertake five experimenal studies using this method to investigate important isssues in the candidate evaluation process, including the impact of issue complexity (whether candidates qualify their positions or state them simply), information order, presentation format, and the affect of trait inferences of candidates on the evaluation of the candidates. This unique investigation allows significant methodological advances in our understanding of the affect of issue and trait in candidate evaluation and candidate selection.