The psychology of political flip-flops

But often, a candidate’s official platform isn’t processed accurately by the voter’s mind.

“Citizens often project views they agree with onto candidates they like, regardless of what the political figure has actually expressed or done,” said Nalder.

“Political science research suggests that individuals engage in motivated reasoning when it comes to evaluating political candidates. That is, they tend to process incoming information in a biased manner to ensure it is consistent with prior attitudes,” Elizabeth Miller, political science professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, told Discovery News.

“Thus, citizens may very well ignore flip-flopping when they feel positive towards a candidate and exaggerate its importance when they dislike a candidate,” said Miller.