Prediction Error, Emotion, and Information-Seeking Behaviors in the Context of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Through a two-wave online study, we examined how prediction errors (expectancy weighted by desired outcome) of the American 2020 presidential election predicted changes in emotional response and media information-seeking behavior following the election. Prediction error significantly predicted affective responses and changes in media information-seeking in terms of media partisanship.