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Research
Dissertation
Scholars have researched how voters make decisions for well over a half a century, but these studies are limited in what they are able to say about how voters make decisions because they have focused on the choice rather than the process. Most of these studies have focused on the choice that voters reach or the way their memories are structured, overlooking the importance of the search and acquisition of information. Specifically, scholars in political science have paid little attention to how contextual variations in the information environment affect how voters make decisions.
This dissertation investigates how changes in context affect how voters search for information. I explore three specific contexts: the number of offices on the ballot, the availability of partisan information about the candidates, and the presence or absence of campaign dialogue between two candidates. Indeed, one of the prominent features of American elections is the variation in the number of elections across jurisdictions, the availability of partisan information about candidates, and the amount of campaign dialogue between candidates--the three contexts that I examine in this study.
I conduct three experiments that manipulate each of these contexts, using a dynamic information board that simulates the campaign environment and process tracing methods to track the information subjects chose to view and in what order they chose to view it. Results indicate that context shapes the way voters search for and acquire information. When faced with long ballots, subjects examined information less closely, they compared more information between candidates, and they searched for information less systematically. When subjects were unable to use the partisan cue, they compared less information between candidates and searched for information less systematically. Finally, when there was no dialogue between candidates, subjects searched for less information and had a less systematic search for it. These findings suggest that there are better ways to design elections.
Drew Seib, Murray State University University
"Dealing with Strategic Candidates: How the Lack of Candidate Dialogue Changes the Way Voters Learn during an Election"
Abstract: One of the prominent features of American campaigns is the tendency of candidates to talk past one another and ignore issues that are not beneficial to the candidate, yet an informed electorate depends on voters having access to the candidates' issues positions. This study considers how voters grapple with the lack of information they face in campaigns by exploring the role of dialogue between candidates. Using a dynamic information board and an experimental design, this study examines how voters acquire their knowledge base in campaigns with and without candidate dialogue. The results show that not only does a lack of dialogue between candidates make it more difficult for voters to learn, but it actually turns voters off from learning about the candidates.
Drew Seib, Murray State University University
"Coping with Lengthy Ballots"
Abstract: Given voters' limited cognitive abilities, the variance in the type of learning environments voters face may have implications for how voters learn about candidates and make decisions. One prominent feature of American elections is the variation in the length of the ballot across jurisdictions and elections. Some voters only have to sift through information for a few elections, while others must sift though information for a slew of elections. Given the challenges campaign environments impose on people, voters often adapt information search and acquisition strategies. This paper explores the consequences of lengthy ballots on the ability of voters to learn about candidates. Using an experimental design and a dynamic information board Lau and Redlawsk (2006), subjects participate in a mock election where they are asked to gather information about a single election or multiple elections. The results indicate that voters become frantic as the length of the ballot increases. While their search for information becomes deeper as ballot length increases, they compare less information, have a more random search pattern, and rely more on the party affiliations of the candidates.
Scott McClurg, Souithern Illinois University
Anand Sokhey, University of Colorado at Bolder
Drew Seib, Murray State University
William Jager, University of Colorado at Boulder
Paul Martin, Southern Illinois University
"Examining Mechanims of Social Influence"
Abstract: In this research, we develop test hypotheses about how interpersonal networks affect candidate evaluations. Working from two different models of how social stimuli may produce effects—i.e., either through information seeking processes, or by functioning as heuristics – we present two different experimental designs that incorporate a simulated campaign and dynamic information board (Lau and Redlawsk 1997; 2006). In the first, we use responses gathered via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to examine information seeking processes, comparing click patterns on the information board when social network information is incorporated alongside other possible (simulated) campaign information. This approach allows us to examine the impact of social communication in a more realistic informational and choice setting than is common in previous influence experiments. Our second experiment uses a unique recruitment design among students that allows us to unobtrusively include information from the structure of real social networks. This design gives us leverage on how network structure potentially mediates the effect of social communication. The results from these experiments contribute to growing literature on the conditions under which interpersonal communications influence voting and public opinion.
Scott McClurg, Souithern Illinois University
Anand Sokhey, University of Colorado at Bolder
Drew Seib, Murray State University
Open PDF
"Examining Mechanims of Political Disagreement"
Abstract: This research seeks to develop and test hypotheses about how political disagreement in social networks affects political behavior. We conduct experimental research to test whether subjects' acquaintances act as independent sources of information, and examine two different models of how such social stimuli may produce effects|either via information seeking, or information shortcuts. These tests are important because prior research is ambiguous on whether causal effects come from networks, and on potential mechanisms of influence. Our results back aspects of both models, but more strongly support the notion of disagreement as a heuristic|subjects primed to consider disagreement before a mock election exhibited a less-orderly information search process; those primed to consider disagreement after the election (but before voting) displayed lower rates of ambivalence, and evidence that such information helped clarify their decisions.
Scott McClurg, Souithern Illinois University
Anand Sokhey, University of Colorado at Bolder
Drew Seib, Murray State University
Jeffrey Lyons, University of Colorado at Bolder
``Personality, Interpersonal Disagreement, and Political Behavior: An Experimental Approach''
Abstract: In this research we develop and test hypotheses about how interpersonal disagreement and personality combine to affect political attitudes and behavior in general, and ambivalence and information seeking in particular. While disagreement in social networks carries a host of political consequences, an emerging literature on personality suggests the potential for moderating effects. Using an experimental design uniquely suited to examine information seeking in the wake of exposure to interpersonal disagreement, we consider whether respondents behave differently in a simulated campaign based on the display of various “big 5” traits. We find evidence that personality moderates reported ambivalence, as well as the order, depth, and time of information seeking behavior.
Drew Seib, Murray State University
"Divided Government and Congressional Investigations"
Open PDF
Abstract: Mayhew (1991) attempts to grasp how divided government affects the ability of legislators to pass laws. In his study, he uses frequencies to decipher the effects of divided government on the probability of congressional investigations. This study takes a different look at the same data, by using a duration model. The results suggest that presidential approval is only helpful in preventing congressional investigations when government is unified.
Drew Seib, Southern Illinois University
"Unclear Ideology Heuristics and Voting"
Open PDF
Abstract: Representative democracies require that its citizens choose representatives that are in their best interest. Research shows that people have little knowledge about candidates. Scholars are now exploring heuristics as a way for citizens to be able to make reasonable decisions with little or no information about candidates. Research on heuristics thus far has only considered clear or well-defined heuristics, but heuristics are not always welldefined. This study will examine the ability of voters to employ the ideology heuristic when it is unclear. The question driving this paper is can a person vote for the candidate with the same ideology if the ideology heuristic is unclear. The results show that people are not as probable to vote for the candidate with the same ideology when the ideology heuristic is unclear.
Dynamic Information Board
As part of my dissertation, I developed and programed a dynamic informaiton board, modeled after Lau and Redlawsk (2006). My goal is to make it easy for other scholars to use and manipulate the information board. I have included some of the code for the information board below (written in html, javascript, php and sql), along with a sample information board, so you can see how it works. This program has been optimized to run in Google Chrome Kiosk Mode. The files below would need to be save as .php files to be usable. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I am more than willing to help.
Sample Information Board
CODE: Main Information Board Screen
CODE: Pop-Up Screen Containing Candidate Information
