Question

Describe the three cognitive exercises identified by achen and bartels that voters use instead of thinking about facts to resolve tensions between their own policy preferences and those of their party

Answer 1

Voters often resolve tensions between their preferences and party positions using cognitive exercises: the substitution heuristic which simplifies complex evaluations, party identification as a heuristic cue for decision-making, and retrospective voting based on past party performance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Three Cognitive Exercises Used by Voters

Voters often utilize cognitive exercises to make voting decisions when they encounter tensions between their own policy preferences and the platforms of their political parties. First, they use the substitution heuristic, replacing complex analyses of policies and candidates with simpler, affect-driven evaluations based on their preconceptions and feelings toward a political party. Second, they rely on party identification as a heuristic cue, where a voter primarily supports their party's candidate, assuming alignment with their political beliefs. Third, voters practice retrospective voting, evaluating candidates based on the perceived performance of their party in the recent past rather than scrutinize every new policy proposal or candidate record in depth.

These cognitive shortcuts simplify the decision-making process, providing a sense of cognitive ease in complex electoral environments, and are influenced by factors such as political party allegiance, past party performance, and personal biases toward parties and candidates.