Posted on 10/09/2008 11:27:37 AM PDT by outfield
Still wonder what-the-heck those squiggly lines are at the bottom of your CNN screen during the Presidential debates?
David W. Moore, the author of The Opinion Makers: An Insider Exposes The Truth Behind The Polls, and former senior editor at the Gallup Poll for thirteen years will tell you the folly of this pseudo-science.
Mr. Moore lampoons CNNs use of live Audience Reaction Meters during the Presidential debates as junk science. He tells you where the 25-year-old hand meter technology came from and how it’s used in the debates, is completely counter to the concept of focus groups. He writes, [focus groups] are designed to obtain in-depth responses from the participants, who actually discuss the issues with each other and arrive at more considered views than what polls normally measure.
Moore argues that CNN has presented a 32 member groups reactions to candidates comments (shown in squiggly lines [0-100 with 0 equaling bad and 100, good]) as representative of American without one scintilla of scientific basis.
Should Americans really care what 32 people from Ohio think?
Fox News is guilty too, then.
Well, it’s rampant now.
Fox has Frank Luntz and I saw it on PMSNBC too.
CNN is the only one to have it onscreen during the debate though.
That being said, I agree it’s pure crap, in every case.
Hell, Luntz has his group of “undecideds” in Arlington VA.
Oh yeah, that’s representative of Virginia as a whole, let alone the country.
What do you have in Arlington? Democrat gub’mint workers, Republican gub’mint workers and Independent gub’mint workers. Hell of a cross-section there.
I’ve participated in 2 focus groups here in Los Angeles. In the ones I have participated in, you are viewing a Pilot for a new TV show.. They give you those dumb hand controls and tell you to use them liberally.. they then have you come into a room after it’s done and ask you some questions.
I was on one for the show Survivor, just before it came out. I just remember sitting next to a guy who was zapping that dial left and right then left up down and sideways.. It all seemed totally frivoulous and cavalier (which pretty much describes the show, I guess)... these reactions that you see from these dials are not normal reactions. they are reactions from caged animals. the folks know they are being watched ( 2 way mirror and mics )and for the first time in their life, they feel important.
funny how only 4 of us (out of 15 men) in the meeting after that, thought Survivor would be a hit.. I said it would be a smash..
they paid us 60 bucks... haven’t done one since.
Is Luntz from Ohio ? I was wondering why he has custody of James Traficant's hair .
What, they bought a bunch of surplus used E-Meters from the Church of Scientology?
those “dial test” are used to influence the viewing audience. Plain and simple. If you watch a debate on CNN you will think the answer was good or correct if the dial goes up or bad and wrong if the dial goes down. More than “junk science” it’s a Liberal sway machine
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