How people vote in contests: new findings from Immortal Songs 2

Abstract

Many important contests, such as job interviews and political debates, are presented in sequential order. Previous studies found serial position effects such that the later presenter has a higher probability of winning. However, no previous studies use both random assignments of contestants and a large number of contestants and judges. We use Immortal Songs 2, a popular TV program that satisfies both conditions, to confirm the findings of serial position effects. In addition, Immortal Songs 2 has round-by-round competition rules. The first round is a competition between the first and second contestants. Then, the winner of the first round is announced. The second round is a contest between the winner of the first round and the third contestant. As the rounds continue, in theory, the winner of the previous round should have a higher probability of winning; however, in fact, the second contestant's probability of winning is always 0.5.