Political Cognition

Question 1

ideology

Answer 1

political beliefs and values

‘a set of beliefs about the proper order of society and how it can be achieved’

Question 2

rational voter

Answer 2

choosing who is going to make the country better (in the voters opinion), whose beliefs align with them, etc

Question 3

irrational voter

Answer 3

votes based on irrelevant things, such as who looks better, etc

Question 4

rational voter model of political behaviour

Answer 4

model contends that peopl are self-interested actors that try to achieve positive outcomes for themselves.
they choose the politicians and policies that bring about these positive outcomes.

Question 5

two core tenets of the rational voter model of political behaviour

Answer 5

1: rational voters will try to re-elect politicians who deliver favourable outcomes (voters should reward competence)

2: rational voters will not support a politician because of favourable outcomes which are not related to a politician’s actions (voters should not reward luck)

Question 6

assessment of tenet 1: voters should reward competence

Answer 6

is supported by evidence!

people tend to vote their pocketbooks - rewarding incumbents for good economic conditions, punishing for bad

e.g. when things are going well economically, people tend to vote for the incumbent vs challengers
people give greater weight to the economic conditions in their local communities when voting

Question 7

assessment of tenet 2: voters should not reward luck

Answer 7

is not supported :(

people tend to reward and punish candidates for entirely extranenous events out of their control

e.g. shark attacks, droughts, floods, etc

Question 8

conclusion of the rational voter model of political behaviour

Answer 8

voters seem to reward competence AND luck
therefore voters may not be as rational as we think

Question 9

expressive utility

Answer 9

political view too narrow
need to take a more holistic view