The average American can rarely recognize when candidates pivot to distract from the moderator's original question. Candidates do this so that they can convey something else about themselves in a more positive light or something negative about their opponent. Though the candidate has not answered the question directly, viewers then feel that the candidate has answered the question satisfactorily. They then go on to make an (uninformed) judgment of the candidate.
How does this happen? These debates were created to inform the American public of candidates' positions on important issues, but has instead become a platform for candidates to manipulate innocent people. Todd Rogers, a behavioral Psychologist at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, says that the average person's focus when watching a debate is to judge whether or not they are good people, not to be informed on candidates' positions. Viewers' minds are then geared towards determining character, not aligning the candidates' answers to their corresponding questions. If an answer sounds somewhat related, the viewers have accomplished their goal of determining a candidate's character based on his or her response regardless of relevance.
But we must rectify this habit. While character is an important aspect of a president, we must fulfill our duty as citizens to elect a president that will carry out legislation that is representative of our nation's people. Below, I provide insight on how to recognize pivoting so that you are less susceptible to manipulation.
Rogers conducted a study [2] to see how well the average person could detect pivoting. The subject (1) listened to a speaker give a question and an answer, (2) tried to recall the question, and (3) determined the speaker's character. Three different questions were given for the same answer. Rogers concluded that unless the answer to a question was egregiously unrelated, subjects could not detect the shift in topic, and accordingly judged the character of the candidate.
Click on a question topic below to visualize the outcomes.
Healthcare
You are now familiar with pivoting! You can improve your skills to discern when a candidate is dodging a question by viewing more videos. Practice makes perfect!
Before you vote for any politician, whether it's for the 2016 Presidential Election or even for a local office position, make sure you're getting the answers you deserve. Don't be manipulated!
I challenge you to rewatch previous debates from the 2016 presidential debtaes to see whether or not Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are really answering the moderator's questions!
Rewatch Presidential Debates