Why Might Partisan Gridlock in Congress Suggest a Decline in the Health

question 71

Multiple Choice

Why might partisan gridlock in Congress suggest a decline in the health of American democracy?

• A) Party-line voting and increasing hostility between parties impedes the policymaking process.
• B) Increased animosity leads to policies aimed at hurting the other party rather than benefiting the nation.
• C) Congress's failure to make policy due to partisan differences expands the president's power.
• D) Hyper-partisan attitudes and behaviors cause Americans to view the government as less legitimate.

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Definitions:

Working Memory

The capacity of the brain to hold and manipulate information in the short term for cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension.

Short-Term Memory

A part of the memory system where small amounts of information can be kept for a short period of time, typically from a few seconds to a minute.

Functional Fixedness

A cognitive bias that limits a person's ability to use an object only in the way it is traditionally used, hindering problem-solving.

Confirmation Bias

A bias towards finding, comprehending, selecting, and reminiscing information that affirms one's prior beliefs or conjectures.