By Joe Wertz – 11/03/2016 A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General concludes that images of US presidential elections were almost as good as video for showing the outcome.
The study, conducted by a group of researchers from Duke University and Johns Hopkins University, analysed images of more than 40,000 images of presidential elections that had been published in major news outlets and online.
The researchers found that images were superior to video in showing the vote count, and that images could capture the moment of the election.
They also found that voters were more likely to see the results of an election when they were seen by people with similar attitudes.
“Voters were much more likely than non-voters to perceive the vote to be close or very close,” the researchers wrote in the study.
The images were also more accurate, with a median error of only 3 per cent, and were able to show voters in the US the vote counts, exit polls and ballot returns.
“The ability to detect and interpret the vote was a crucial feature of the electoral process,” the study’s authors wrote.
The team also found a strong correlation between the image quality and the number of candidates and issues that were considered important in the campaign.
This is a clear indicator that images and images alone were able of showing the election outcomes, they wrote.
“Our findings indicate that voters are more likely when images are used than they are when they are not,” they wrote in their paper.
“If voters want to see what the candidates are doing, images are an ideal way to get that.”
However, the researchers also noted that “the results may be due to different factors and may not be representative of voters in general.”
The results of the study were based on the votes that were counted at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
“It is not clear whether these images were representative of what actually occurred in the country as a whole or whether voters were choosing between two candidates in particular,” the authors wrote, adding that they would continue to study the use of images in the election cycle.
In response to the research, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for an overhaul of the Electoral College system, which is set to determine the winner of the presidential election.
“This study is the latest example of a media study being used by politicians to distort the truth about our democracy,” he said.
“I think the people are getting tired of the dishonest media.”
Topics:elections,election-system,government-and-politics,media,information-and.communication-technology,science-and/or-technology-science,united-states
