(CNN) If history is any guide, provocative actions from North Korea can be expected around the time of US elections, a new study says.

Over the past 60 years, North Korea's leaders have attempted to incite tensions around the time of American elections -- especially in recent years, the study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says.

For example, North Korea conducted a missile test and then a nuclear test shortly after President Barack Obama was elected.

"Doing a major test would be a way of trying to intimidate the incoming president," said Victor Cha, one of the study's authors. "North Korea chooses particular windows that they know will gain maxmum attention from the world, and the US in particular."

"It could be a sixth nuclear test, it could be launching of their rocket which put a satellite in orbit," Cha added.