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Discussing politics for many people is a daily event. Personal interactions seem to influence individuals' attitudes and behavior. Does the role of interpersonal discussion on politics certainly have an impact on our attitudes toward political issues? This paper is to answer this question by looking into the relationship between discussing politics with weak tie discussants, e.g. friends and coworkers, and the expression of political tolerance, which is an important orientation of democracy and social pluralism. Based on the survey data of 2000 American National Election Research in the presidential election season, the results of logistic regression analysis show that the impact of political discussion and the impact of weak-tie networks on both general moral tolerance and specific tolerance toward homosexual groups are not as significant as expected. Although the proposed relationship is not significant, the author argues that missing values of survey data can decrease the significance of relationships between variables. In the second part of the paper, he further compares the original results derived from ANES dataset from that derived from same dataset but with the problem of missing values fixed. Finding that missing values in this case did cause different results, the author concludes that the impact of interpersonal political discussion needs more examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore the concept of dosage in media effects literature. First, it will consider the extent to which media effects researchers have addressed issues of dosage, reviewing the extant literature for evidence regarding the appropriate duration and frequency of media exposure to produce specific outcomes (e.g., changes in knowledge, attitude, or behavior), with a focus on the distinctions between dosage issues as related to both intended and unintended effects. Next, it will identify theoretical paradigms that speak most directly to issues of exposure dosage, before considering the design and statistical approaches typically associated with research that involves multiple media exposures. The paper will conclude with future directions for the study of dosage in media effects research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While people often follow frames in opinion formation, they are also capable of resisting or even counteracting frames under certain circumstances. This paper investigates the cognitive processes that lead people to follow or resist frames, stressing the importance of cognitive responses to framed messages. It develops a schematic model of the frame-cognition interaction and specifies the conditions under which resistance and countervalent responses are expected. The paper experimentally tests the predictions measuring individuals' spontaneous associations with framed messages (N=357). It finds that people counteract frames if these are recognized as unduly biased, and follow frames if their prior attitudes are too disparate to discover frame biases. Furthermore, stronger prior attitudes decrease the strength of successful framing effects, but increase the power of countervalent responses. Framed opinion formation is thus mediated by cognitive responses, which depend not merely on the frame or prior attitudes alone, but on a non-linear interaction between both. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of rules on chat room behavior and on users' overall satisfaction with their online experiences, applying coordinated management of meaning theory to answer the question: Are online users really happy with the perceived lack of speech rules and boundaries in online chat experiences? ?A controlled experiment was conducted in which two groups of people were observed in an online chat room. One group was given a set of rules for conducting the chat; the other group was given no such structure. Both were given the same broad controversial topic—the war in Iraq—to discuss. Pre- and post-experiment questionnaires, as well as textual analysis of the chats themselves, showed that members of the group in the structured environment perceived their experience in the chat room to be much more positive than those in the unstructured environment. The statistical findings presented in this paper show that individuals in the ruled chat were significantly less likely to place great value on freedom of expression, more likely to have a positive attitude regarding the chat topic, and less at ease discussing the topic of the war in Iraq than those in the chat without rules. These findings suggest that, despite the emphasis in scholarship about users' perceived celebration of speech freedoms in chat rooms, users do not have better experiences in those chat rooms when rules are present. Thus, unstructured environments may be the key to better coordinated meaning management in online spaces. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to outline fundamental aspects of the ethics of PR within a theoretical-analytical framework in the first part of the paper. This is achieved on the basis of some major ethical problems and an analysis of potential conflicts that are relevant to PR and which are reflected in different ethical approaches, in particular, individual and organizational ethics or the ethics of responsibility and the ethics of conviction (Max Weber). Problematic ethical issues are defined and structured systematically in a model which distinguishes between different relationships. An overview of the status of research in the German-speaking context on the topic of PR ethics facilitates provisional statements appertaining to the awareness and acceptance of ethical codes in Germany.Some important results of a recent survey of 2,312 German PR practitioners are presented. This survey was carried out in 2007 and focused on aspects of PR ethics, on the acceptance and the degree of familiarity with ethical guidelines in Germany's professional field of PR practitioners, on the significance of morally induced goals and professional self-understandings or professional identities. It could be shown how important truthfulness is seen for German PR practitioners and which - specifically ethical - reasons are evaluated as problematic for the industry. On the basis of a debate about tie-in deals in Germany that currently reached a level of intensity results about the acceptance and legitimacy of such procedures within the professional sphere are also introduced. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to shed light on the basic functions of frames in the interpretation of news messages, and how attitude interfere in this process. A sample of 310 participants was randomly presented with a newspaper article about asylum. In the first condition the asylum seekers were implicitly labeled as innocent victims, and in the second as intruders. The third version was a mixed condition. The findings suggest that framing implies a combination of strong and weak media effects. First, frames are in aid of interpreting the news. The persons that were depicted on the very same accompanying press photo in the three conditions evoked feelings that were in line with the applied frame in the text. Second, the more outspoken the receivers' attitudes, the more their own opinion challenged the power of the frame. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased use of rich media on the Web, different online object formats have started to pose important questions regarding the connection between message effectiveness and novelty effects. Among these formats, 3D outside-the-frame (OTF) objects embedded within web page content present an interesting challenge for research, as they are novel and complex versions of interactive 3D animated product presentations. The present paper provides evidence gathered on the cognitive and affective effects of OTF objects. The results show that movies featuring OTF presentations are considered less boring than others, due to a novelty effect. However, the impact of OTF objects on perceptions, attitudes, and memory seems to be moderated by the type of object and also the type of movement the object makes. Theoretical and practical implications are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper examined the effect of guilt on persuasion (i.e., attitude change/behaviour intention). It was hypothesized that guilt has a curvilinear effect on attitude change and message reference may have an effect on the perception of guilt, that is, self-reference may lead to higher guilt feeling for American people (the representative for individualistic cultures), whereas other-reference may lead to higher guilt feeling for Chinese people (the representative for collectivistic cultures). A 2 (self-reference vs. other-reference) X 3 (low, moderate, and high guilt induction) X 2 (individualistic vs. collectivistic culture) factorial designed was used. The results were consistent with the predictions that 1) low and moderate guilt appeals generated more positive relevant thoughts and more positive attitudes in both cultures than the high guilt appeal messages did; and 2) the self-referenced moderate guilt induction generated more behaviour intention for American people, and the other-referenced moderate guilt induction generated more behaviour intention in Chinese people then other types of messages. Results were discussed and implication for persuasive health message design was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One aspect of group structure which has not received much theoretical or empirical evaluation is informal status. Status is an emergent property of formal and informal groups and implies a positive evaluation by other members of the group. In addition, the influence of the number of group members who share status has never been explored. This paper focuses on group relationships and evaluates the impact of the number of opinion seekers and opinion leaders on individual technology related attitudes and behavior. The research model was built on the social influence model presented by Fulk (1993) and tested across multiple mediating variables suggested in the social psychological literature including cohesiveness, three types of uncertainty, two levels of uncertainty, and two media types. Contrary to the dominant theoretical position, the number of opinion leaders did not influence technology attitudes. Rather, the number of opinion seekers had a significantly influence. Consistent with the literature on conformity, the influence of the number of opinion seekers was moderated by the degree of cohesiveness, type and level of uncertainty, and the type of media chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of "geo-ethnicity" -- ethnically articulated attitudes and behaviors grounded in a specific temporal and spatial situation. Based upon survey data gathered in seven "geo-ethnic" communities, we demonstrate a unique effect of geo-ethnicity on individuals' neighborhood engagement. To test the unique geo-ethnic effect on neighborhood engagement, we analyze two types of cross-sectional comparisons: a comparison of different ethnic groups in a selected Los Angeles area, and comparisons of the same ethnic groups (Whites and Latinos, respectively) across different locations in Los Angeles County. To highlight the unique effect of geo-ethnicity, the analyses are done after controlling for individual's socio-economic status, immigration history, residential tenure and home ownership. The implications of these results are discussed from a "communication infrastructure approach" (Ball-Rokeach, Kim, & Matei, 2001), an ecological way of conceptualizing communication networks in the everyday lives of individuals in communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal objective of this paper is to present the results of an experimental study designed to investigate the influence of message design strategies on cognitive processing and attitude, behavioral intention and behavior change in relation to marijuana use. Hypotheses and research questions were generated based on an integrated theoretical model of message processing and outcome. Formative research was conducted to investigate the construct of message cognition value and to evaluate anti-marijuana messages designed to vary on sensation and cognition value. In the experiment, 338 18-20 year old college students viewed 4 anti-marijuana public service announcements 4 times each over a 4-week period in a laboratory setting. They completed measures of sensation seeking (NFS), need for cognition (NFC), cognitive processing, attitudes toward marijuana use, behavioral intention to use marijuana and self-reported marijuana use. Results are consistent with previous research showing effects for message sensation value (MSV) on attitude, behavioral intention and behavior. Additionally, a significant main effect for message cognition value (MCV) indicates that high cognition value messages led to greater cued recall than low cognition value messages. This effect was particularly evident among high need for cognition individuals. Message cognition value did not have a main effect on attitude, behavioral intention or behavior. Need for cognition moderated the effect of message cognition value on attitude, but not behavioral intention or behavior. Interaction effects involving NFC/MCV and NFS/MSV were not found. Implications of results for future research and theory development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories of inter-attitude relationships and attitude change have failed to identify the architecture of inter-attitudinal structures and then clarify its relationship to attitude and belief change. This paper examines two models (hierarchical and spatial) of inter-attitudinal structure that explicitly address the consequences of structure for attitude change. An experiment (N = 391) was conducted that manipulated type of hierarchy (explicit vs. implicit), whether the hierarchy was primed or not, and the location in the hierarchy to which a message was directed. The results show that, as both models suggest, linguistic organizational structures influence attitude and belief change. However, as the spatial model suggests, such change is constrained less by a concept's relative position in the structure and more by the strength of the concept's association with other concepts in that structure. Furthermore, within these structures, concepts directly targeted by a persuasive message often exhibit less attitude change than related concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In much scholarly writing and in many leftist and activist accounts the enclosures of the cultural commons have been fiercely critiqued. However, during the last years new media business models are taking shape that challenge the notion of the cultural industries as 'copyright industries'. A new class of entrepreneurs is instead working to expand the commons as part of their businesses. Accordingly, representatives from these new media industries, policy makers and politicians have joined the academic and political critique of the "enclosures of the cultural common". The paper argue that this is a shift within the dominant media policy paradigm and an attempt to integrate existing practices on the internet, based on cooperation and sharing, into the market. By relocating the struggle from 'intellectual property' to 'platform economics' the media industry can exploit the productivity of the commons while holding on to the power that comes with ownership and property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a new method that estimates the degree to which an individual is a specialist-type or a generalist-type citizen. Employing the 2008 ANES data, the study demonstrated that the proposed method can significantly extend the scope of research on issue publics in a number of ways. Beyond the long pending question of which type of citizen prevails in society, the new method allows us to examine various antecedents or consequences of specialists and generalists. For example, the study found that new media were associated with specialist-type citizens, whereas traditional media, such as television, newspaper, and radio, fostered generalist-type individuals. Moreover, the author argued that although the issue public is a two-dimensional concept in nature, previous research has largely overlooked it. Therefore, by combining the proposed method with previous issue public measures, the study identified four types of citizens within each issue and compared their levels of issue knowledge and attitude extremity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Michel Foucault's theories of subjectivity, this paper conceptualizes early blogging and online diary writing as "technologies of the self," that is, procedures through which practitioners enacted certain identities as Internet users. This study combines archival research, close analysis of websites, and interviews with their creators. It analyzes how the most defining practices associated with the emergence of these websites in the second half of the 1990s enabled the performance of specific modes of identification for their users, expressed by concepts such as the "online diarist" and the "blogger." The study broadens our understanding of technologies of the self by considering the role of websites as artifacts in processes of self-formation on the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As governmental sources of funding disappear, the importance of volunteers for non-profit organizations (NPOs) is increasing. Volunteers help NPOs accomplish their missions without exhausting their operational budgets. One problem that NPOs are facing is the difficulty in attracting and retaining dedicated volunteers. The argument advanced in this paper is that this difficulty to retain dedicated volunteers may be an unintended consequence of forcing students to volunteer as part of a course to earn a grade. Using two frameworks (i.e., theory of planned behavior and psychological reactance), the current study explored the impact that forcing volunteerism within a classroom setting has on student's attitudes toward volunteerism and their future intentions to volunteer. Results indicate that students are more likely to develop intentions to volunteer if they have positive attitudes towards volunteering and if their self-efficacy towards volunteering is high. Results also indicate that students who are currently taking a course that requires them to volunteer are less likely to intend to volunteer in the future. Additional results and implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online crowdsourced art is the practice of using the Internet as a participatory platform to directly engage the public in the creation of visual, musical, literary or dramatic artwork, with the goal of showcasing the relationship between the collective imagination and the individual artistic sensibilities of its (most often anonymous) participants. By discussing key examples and analyzing this artistic practice within multiple theoretical frameworks, this paper aims to fill a critical gap in the study of modern art and digital participation by developing a taxonomy of online crowdsourced art and exploring the fluid roles of both artist and audience within this participatory tradition. In view of its reliance on the artistic contribution of a large pool of usually anonymous participants, this type of art raises consequential questions about notions of collective creativity, authorship, collaboration, and the shifting structure of artistic production in the new digital environment. While crowdsourced art, enabled and enhanced by the participatory affordances of the Web 2.0 environment, represents a progressive development within the social tradition of art, it also showcases the permanence of hierarchical artist-crowd relations in the absence of structural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the behavioral consequences of the first person perception (FFP) and establishes the types of perceived influence that underlie it. In study 1, the degree to which individuals admitted that they themselves were influenced by pro-environmental messages predicted their pro-environmental behavior of using fewer plastic bags. In study 2, on the other hand, the degree to which workers thought other workers were influenced by training in ethics predicted their own reported ethical behavior. In both studies, the participants claimed that the message reinforced their attitudes more than it did to others, but did not think the message changed their attitudes or made them form new attitudes more than others. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the neuroendocrine factors leading to systematic differences in trait verbal aggression. Verbally aggressive people produce messages that attack the self-concept of another (Infante & Wigley, 1986). Two studies examine the ratio between the length of the second digit and fourth digit (2D:4D) and facial proportions to explore neuroendocrine factors (i.e., prenatal and pubertal androgen exposure) as indicators of androgen exposure. It was predicted that differential androgen exposure is a predictor of individual differences in verbal aggression. Results from the two studies indicated that 2D:4D ratio is correlated with verbal aggression, as predicted. There was no evidence that pubertal hormone exposure is correlated with verbal aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to advance the scientific basis for message design, theories of belief, attitude, and intention change focusing on the importance of arguments must be joined with theories that deal more with a message's executional (or format) features. This paper takes some steps in that direction arguing that theories such as AMIE (Stephenson & Southwell, 2006) and LC4MP (Lang, Bradley, Sparks, Lee, 2006a) can be integrated with the ELM (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) to the advance theory and message effectiveness predictions. The basic hypotheses derived from the resulting model are tested on a set of 60 smoking cessation ads evaluated by a large, representative sample of adult smokers. Three robust results obtain: more effective smoking cessation ads are ones that have strong arguments, use narrative forms to present their content, and minimize the use of techniques creating visual discontinuity when arguments are strong. Other significant effects are observed but treated as less robust and await replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The format dubbed "guy talk" dominates sports talk radio. Dallas-Ft. Worth station The Ticket pioneered this model and earned unprecedented audience loyalty… among men. This paper examines station promotion, events and publications to demonstrate how The Ticket manufactures a visual corollary to balance the disconnected voices of talk radio. In doing so, the station gathers an audience, scattered by a decentralized metroplex, into a collected identity. However, this inclusion operates through exclusion, as both visual and audio privilege a strong heterosexual masculinity. Unlike most critics, though, I will allow for resistant readings by an audience that actively engages with the station's heavily ironic attitudes. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiral of silence theory does not assume a simple, bivariate relationship between opinion climate and opinion expression. In fact, the notion of "hardcore" individuals embraces the idea that there are some people for whom this relationship does not hold true. However, previous research has treated this notion rather as an assumption, not putting it to a direct empirical test. In this paper, we propose that attitude certainty is a key variable to identify the hardcore. Data from three surveys demonstrate that the climate of opinion does only determine opinion expression when individuals hold their attitudes with weak or moderate attitude certainty. For individuals with certain attitudes, no such effect can be found. Thus, there is a spiral of silence only for some, but not for all members of the public. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has mainly investigated which attitudinal and normative determinants would be more relevant for predicting behavioral intention. By taking an approach drastically different from previous TRA research, this paper focuses on how attitude toward a behavior and perceived norms would influence individuals' uses of various reasons to explain their behavioral intentions to others. Also, this study examined how different cultural backgrounds (Korean and US American) would influence people's citation of the same components related to behavioral intention. The study did not find that one culture always used attitudinal components to explain individuals' behavioral intentions while the other always used normative components to explain individuals' behavioral intentions. Instead, it provided evidence that the relative importance of each TRA component differed depending on the type of behavior being explained. Furthermore, the relationships that attitudinal and normative components had with behavioral intention were not the same as the relationship that attitudinal and normative determinants had with intentions to use attitude-related reasoning and norm-related reasoning. The behavioral type and the norm types were important factors for the relationships among attitudes, norms, and various types of intentions. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the conceptualization and production of irony. Specifically, psychological predispositions are used to identify what makes the production of an ironic message likely. Reasons for endorsing and suppressing ironic messages are discussed based on individuals' goals in a situation. The importance of common ground between individuals during ironic message productions is also discussed. Results include (a) suppression of ironic messages due to concern for other and self, (b) need for mutual understanding of an attitude for ironic messages to be understood as ironic, (c) endorsing ironic messages is designed to inflict harm to others. A theory of irony as a specific instance of relational maintenance is also offered. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how cognitive structures and processes that highlight some aspects of messages but inhibit the salience of others affect adolescents' processing of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The cognitive structures assessed were attitude accessibility and decision styles (Need for Cognition and Faith in Intuition). A 2 (gender: Male vs. Female) 2 (race: Caucasian vs. African American) 4 (message type) mixed design with message type as a within-subjects factor was utilized. Each teen (m age 14.97) was randomly assigned to view one PSA of each type that were presented in a random order. Multilevel modelling analyses showed that attitude accessibility and need for cognition interact with attitude to affect adolescents' biased processing while faith in intuition negatively predicts perceived message bias. Race and gender were also significant predictors of perceived message bias. Implications for message design and health communication are discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is believed to empower consumers to be better informed and more involved in health-related decisions. However, national surveys indicate a trend of consumers' declining trust in DTC advertising. What kind of impact can these messages have if the information they present is not deemed trustworthy by consumers? In this paper, we report on exploratory research to examine how general trust of DTC advertising is connected to such key factors as consumer attitudes toward this category of advertising and interactions with physicians as well as other behaviors related to health information seeking. Our findings indicate high awareness of DTC advertising but neutral attitudes and trust toward these ads. Attitudes toward DTC advertising were the primary predictor of trust while attitudes towards the usefulness of information presented in these ads revealed the most impact on trust. Future research should investigate how the impact of consumers' perceptions of trust regarding pharmaceutical companies influences their perceptions of the trustworthiness of DTC ads and the impact on advertising outcomes. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper examines the transformation of professional attitudes and professional ideology of Czech journalists in the new sociopolitical conditions. It analyzes basic attributes of their new professional self-image. This analysis tries to reflect the main socio-economic changes which took place after collapse of old media system too. Specifically, changes in relation to the functions of news media, the development of market conditions and media consumption patterns. Presented data indicate that transformation of the Czech media system in the 1990s has started two processes which have weakened the fragile professional status of Czech journalists. We called these processes deprofessionalization and proletarization. These two processes have shaped the "professional self-image" of Czech journalists. Majority Czech journalists still face a persistent dilema. While they have professional aspirations to offer society quality public service, they are confronted with a significantly accelerated process of commercialization in the entire media sector. Today Czech journalists are forced to balance these two requirements, to make a "good compromise". As a result of transformation of professional journalistic ideology we can see that besides traditional approaches to the journalistic profession (the "educational", "advocate/adversarial" and "neutral/objective" types of journalists), there has appeared a new sub-group which stresses a distinctive "career/pragmatic" approach to the role of journalist. These journalists perceive their work as a tool for individual development and individual career and strictly reject the traditional "educating-cultivating" role of journalists. The presented paper is based upon the three research projects which were undertaken between 2002-2007 and were focused on social and professional role of Czech journalists. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine how consumersÂ’ general attitude toward Direct-to-Consumer-Advertising (DTCA) influences their drug inquiry and whether the relationship between attitude toward DTCA and drug inquiry is moderated by their perceived knowledge in health and medicine. A survey of 203 Midwestern residents showed that those with favorable views of DTCA were more likely to inquire and request an advertised drug they saw. However, the association was only significant for those with high perceived knowledge in health and medicine. When their perceived knowledge was low, despite positive views of DTCA, their intention to inquire and request a specific drug was not significantly increased. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to examine the role of emotional responses to an Entertainment-Education show about cornea donation, issue involvement, and the three components of the Theory of Planned Behavior, in predicting intentions to pledge cornea donation. The decomposition of effects for the latent constructs confirms that sympathy and empathy responses are the catalyst for issue involvement in the context of organ donation, and issue involvement is an important intermediary in the persuasion process. Issue involvement is also a common causal antecedent of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. The findings of this study suggest that adding emotion and involvement in the Theory of Planned Behavior enhances the explanatory power of the theory in predicting intentions, which indicate the possibility of combining the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior in the prediction of human behaviors. This study also emphasizes the importance of emotion and issue involvement in identifying the why and how issue of the Entertainment-Education investigations. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently there have been several studies that have explored priming outside of political and current event content. In this exploratory study, the authors explore the priming effect can be found on audiencesÂ’ perceptions of science and scientists by exposing participants to CSI: Crime Scene Investigators. The findings indicate that audiences can be influenced by entertainment content in ways that extend beyond mere enjoyment. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how audience’s cognition of the mutual relationship affects attitude formation toward network broadcasters. Using structural equation modeling, the linkages of mutual relationship constructs and the sources of attitude formation constructs were analyzed. The results showed that mutual relationship constructs, with the exception of dependability, were predictors of the sources of attitude formation constructs. In addition, the effect of audience trust is direct and stronger in forming audience attitude, in comparison to the indirect effect of audience satisfaction. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the conceptualizations and operationalizations of trust in journalism via news media. The concept of credibility is inductively defined in factor analytic studies, depending on the current factor solution. The development and validation of a trust in news media scale was presented. The theoretically derived hierarchical factor model was tested on independent samples by confirmatory factor analysis. Nested model comparison showed that the depicted model is superior compared to a one-factorial model which underlines the discriminant validity of the scale.

This article presents a study which examines the factors associated with the process of public opinion. The study found that, by examining the psychological filter, an individual's previously held attitudes were the best predictor of issue favorability. The study also revealed that attention to media coverage was positively related to strength of opinion, so that the more attention respondents paid to the issue in the media, the stronger they felt about their opinion.

Experimental studies demonstrate that justified media violence facilitates resultant aggression (Berkowitz & Geen, 1967; Berkowitz & Powers, 1979; Meyer, 1972), while exposure to unjust aggression may reduce these tendencies (Geen, 1981). However, ambiguity remains concerning the features delineating justified from unjustified violence and the psychological processes leading to subsequent aggressive behavior. Lachlan and Tamborini (2004) found that incongruous portrayals of violence, especially those committed by liked characters with unsanctioned motives, may be especially problematic in leading to short term acceptance of violence. The current study exposed participants to a film clip of such an incongruous portrayal, and then asked subjects to evaluate the use of violence in a subsequent social situation, manipulating disposition and motive for the characters in the subsequent observation while keeping the features of the film stimulus constant. Initial findings on both the ideal response and the range of acceptable behaviors suggest cognitive comparison processes between the film stimulus and subsequent attitudes concerning the use of aggression. Violence may be met with greater approval when featuring more delineating justification characteristics than a previously seen film clip. Implications of these findings and directions for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents studies that focused on the fundamental attribution error (FAE) in attributing fictional figures' characteristics to the actors. FAE refers to human tendency to attribute people's behavior to internal attributes more than external factors. The first study demonstrated that in the audiovisual medium, viewers tend to attribute an actor's behavior in television dramas to the actor's personality. The second study demonstrated that the tendency to make FAE is related to the degree to which the person reports being transported into the narrative of the TV drama.

This article presents a study that tested the effects of exposure to sexual television content on emerging adults' sexual attitudes and moral judgments. Undergraduate students are randomly assigned to one of three conditions manipulating consequence contingencies portrayed in shows, positive, negative, and neutral consequences of sexual intercourse, and to a control condition. It was found that exposure to shows that portray negative consequences of sex leads to more negative attitudes toward sex and to more negative moral judgments of characters engaged in such behavior.

Two experiments examined the issue of whether violated expectation would instigate systematic processing of a message regarded as relevant among subjects. In Experiment 1, subjects were assigned to a 2 (argument quality: strong versus weak) נ2 (message status: majority versus minority) factorial design and were exposed to a counter-attitudinal message that argued for negative personal interests for them. The result of Experiment 1 indicated that systematic processing occurred for a majority source, but not for a minority source. However, it was not clear whether violated expectation resulting from a majority-supported counter-attitudinal message or defensive processing motivated to protect personal interests invoked systematic processing of a majority source because the persuasive message was not only against subjects' attitudes but also against their personal interests. Therefore, in Experiment 2, subjects were exposed to a message only against their attitudes but not against their personal interests. Subjects involved in systematic processing of both a majority source and a minority source. The comparison of the results from Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 revealed that violated expectation was a motivational factor that instigated systematic processing of a majority source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework (Rimal & Real, 2003), this study classified individuals into one of four groups on the basis of their risk perception and efficacy beliefs: responsive (high efficacy, high risk), avoidance (low efficacy, high risk), proactive (high efficacy, low risk), and indifferent (low efficacy, low risk). We tested the central propositions of the RPA framework in the context of maternal health among women residents of Burkina Faso. As predicted, the interaction between risk perception and efficacy beliefs was significantly associated with knowledge about maternal health. As efficacy increased, the relationship between knowledge and risk perception increased, and as efficacy decreased, the relationship between knowledge and risk perception decreased. These findings have important implications for message design and audience targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which investigated the influence of family and mass media in shaping youth attitudes and behaviors towards drugs. The sample population in the study are college students in their late teens and twenties from the U.S. and Singapore. The indicators used to measure family values included a number of items addressing family communication patterns. Singaporeans appeared less influenced by their parents and family than were students from the U.S. Singaporeans reported lower levels of general influence from parents and less open communication. Through the results, it became apparent that more U.S. respondents used, or know someone who used illegal drugs. Results showed that U.S. respondents had higher levels of exposure to drugs, and knew a larger circle of people who have used drugs.

The theory of reasoned action provides a useful theoretical foundation for identifying antecedents of adolescent smoking behavior and has been used to develop campaigns. Campaigns designed under the framework of the theory of reasoned action have focused on changing attitude and subjective norms, but we do not know the predictors to attitude and subjective norms. This study explored the important factors that influence smoking related attitudes and subjective norms in order to identify different conditions under which attitude and subjective norms can be changed and for recognizing other targets of persuasion. We used a quasi-experimental survey design (N = 260) to examine the mediating roles of attitude toward smoking and subjective norms on the observed effects of prior smoking experience, association with deviant peers, and risk and protective factors on adolescents smoking intentions respectively. Prior smoking experience, association with deviant peers, and risk and protective factors (especially, academic performance and frequency of school absences) predict behavior intention to smoke both directly and indirectly through the mediation of attitude and/or subjective norms. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the effects of repeated exposure and mode of presentation (audio vs. music video) on the enjoyment of pop music among adolescents, theoretically referring to the concepts of mere exposure and perceptual fluency. In an experiment, participants listened to several pop songs twice (repeated exposure) or watched the music video and subsequently listened to the pop songs (cross-modal exposure) or just listened to the pop songs once (control). Both between- and within-subjects analyses mostly indicate better evaluations for repeated and cross-modal exposure; but only the between-subjects differences reach significance. More than repeated exposure, the mode of presentation influences how a song is liked: The initial video exposure is evaluated more positively than the initial audio exposure and even the second one. Consistent with prior research, no effect of song familiarity on liking is found. The perception of song complexity and preference of pop music in general does not influence liking. The implications for further research and theoretical development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the reliability and validity of real-time response measurement in the study of the effects of mass media on the attitude, cognition and emotion of the people. In these studies, the stimulus is regarded one single unit, regardless of whether it is a single film or advertising or a rather diffuse set of media elements. Therefore, the effects measured can not be traced back to specific elements of media content.

The article presents a study which aimed to gain an empiric and exploratory understanding of Indians' attitudes about data privacy and security. These attitudes are studied by analyzing the mental models that are reflected in interviews which were conducted among Indians. The methodology for extracting, analyzing and comparing mental models from texts is presented. The knowledge gained about the perception of data privacy and security among the subjects is also given.

Although several studies have examined the roles of the media and public attitudes, there is a lacuna in research regarding this relationship in international crisis periods. Furthermore, very little research has been undertaken regarding the relationships among and between media content, public opinion, and governmental foreign policy. This study presents an original exploratory and comprehensive model of press–public–foreign-policy relations in times of crisis, combining theories of mass communications and international relations, with emphasis on the various stages of the crisis, the roles of the media, and the different positions adopted by the press and by the public vis-a-vis government foreign policy. The model is then applied it to the U.S. during the Bosnian crisis (1992-1995). Commentary and editorials from the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, news headlines from the Washington Times and USA Today, as well as public opinion surveys were examined. The conclusions point to significant correlations among media content, public opinion and foreign policy, clarifying the varying roles of the press during an international crisis. Overall, the conclusions shed new light on our understanding of these relationships, both in general and during times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes that sympathy responses and empathy responses to health communication content are a function of two distinctive processes. While sympathy draws upon a person's awareness of another person's perspective, empathy is an emotional response that emphasizes a viewer's own experience of the feelings of another person.

To explore the influence of international public relations on U.S. news media and public perceptions of foreign nations, this study used a triangulation of methods by comparing public relations counsel for foreign nations, media content, and public opinion data in 1998 and 2002. The results indicate that while the relationship between public relations counsel and media coverage was minimal at the level of object and substantive attribute salience, linkages were observed with affective attribute salience. In general, public relations counsel was associated with a decrease in the amount of negative news coverage. At the level of individual news stories, it was connected to increased positive valence in media content. For the dimensions of news coverage associated with public relations, media salience was related to public salience and attitudes regarding foreign nations. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation introduced the concept of associative networks to the resistance domain. A four-phase experiment was conducted involving 298 participants. The results confirmed the role of known elements in the process of resistance: the core elements of threat, issue involvement, and counterarguing output facilitated resistance, as did the more recently introduced elements of attitude certainty and attitude accessibility. Also, the results indicated that inoculation treatments modified the structure of associative networks, planting additional nodes and increasing linkages between nodes. Subsequently, these changes in the structure of associative networks contributed to resistance to counterattitudinal attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study which examined direct and indirect impacts of anti-smoking media messages on the smoking attitudes and behavioral intentions of adolescents. Analyzing direct effects in a survey of 1,687 middle-school students, it was found that anti-smoking media message had boomerang effects among ever-smokers and never-smokers. However, analysis of indirect paths revealed significant effects in the opposite direction--effects also moderated by peer proximity.

Building upon previous research geared towards evaluating socio-cultural influences within the African-American community and breast cancer screening and treatment addressability, the present study brings into discussion the differences in polarization of opinions and attitudes between White and Black communities with respect to an intensely mediated health risk issue. The study identified significant differences in polarization of opinions and attitudes regarding health and breast cancer between White and African-American women. The responses from a survey of 404 women were evaluated for the degree of polarization of women's opinions and attitudes towards breast cancer dimensions related to self determination, spirituality and fate, the effect of the degree of polarization on the attention they pay to breast cancer related media messages and the influence of income and education on polarization and attention to media messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current theory and research fails to articulate and explain fully the simultaneous oppressive and liberating aspects of emotional labor. Originally conceptualized by Hochschild (1983), employees experience emotional labor when their organization dictates how they are to feel and express emotions in return for a wage. While the original conceptualization recognized emotional labor could be either oppressive or liberating, it did not theorize emotional labor as having simultaneous oppressive and liberating qualities. This study investigates the management strategies and consequences of emotional labor in a hotel by utilizing a qualitative interview method that solicited recalled conversational episodes. Results show that management strategies were reflective of controlled employees who generally managed challenging episodes through suppression of true or felt emotions. This control benefited the organization and harmed the employee. Implications for future emotional labor research and limitations of the present study are detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]