1. The issue being studied is whether presidential debates have an effect on the outcome of the elections by affecting the viewers' voting decisions.
2. This question is crucially important for a variety of reasons, as the authors point out. First and foremost, of course, is that debates purport to help citizens cast their all-important votes in our democratic society. By placing candidates together on the same stage, debates allow the viewing public to see how the candidates interact with each other and how the react to difficult questions. Debates allow viewers to watch the candidates discuss the issues that may be of importance to them. And while debates regularly draw large viewership, not much is known about their tangible effects on election outcomes.
3. In order to answer this question, the researchers will test seven hypotheses in a meta-analysis of a number of different studies:
Presidential debate watching increases knowledge of candidates issue stands
Presidential debate watching increases issue salience (number of issues used to evaluate candidates).
Presidential debate watching affects preference for one candidate's issue positions over another's.
Presidential debate watching has an agenda setting effect (influences perceptions of the relative importance of issues).
Presidential debate watching affects perceptions of the candidates' character (e.g. honesty, compassion, morality).
Presidential debate watching affects perceptions of candidates' competence (leadership ability, experience).
Presidential debate watching affects voter choice.
The researchers are looking for positive relationships in all of these hypotheses, which are not competing.
Knowledge of candidates' issue stands
The number of issues used to evaluate candidates
Preference for one candidate's position over another
Perceptions of the relative importance of issues
Perceptions of candidates' character...