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In this chapter, the hedonistic premise of mood-management theory is examined and expanded to account for seemingly nonhedonistic choices of media content. Counterhedonistic message selection is considered in the context of selective-exposure theory. Informational utility is invoked as a choice-driving force that complements content selection. The confounded operation of hedonistic and informational choice determinants is detailed for various domains of communication. In particular, it is proposed that hedonistic motivation, as articulated in mood-management theory, dominates spontaneous entertainment choices, with nonhedonistic considerations being complementary to choice determination. The choice of educational and informational media content, in contrast, is thought to be dominated by considerations of informational utility, but also to entail noninformational anticipations. The integration of these and related choice determinants is emphasized for the development of comprehensive theories of selective exposure [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White female and male students were exposed to a set of videos featuring popular music performed by female Black artists. The videos presented either songs of devoted love or rap designed to be sexually titillating. Purportedly, in an unrelated person-perception test, the students thenevaluateda series of White andBlackwomen presented in portrait format on slides. A control group performed the person-perception test without prior exposure to music videos. Significant effects of music exposure on the evaluation of Black women, but not on White women, were obtained. Specifically, exposure to rap laden with sexual imagery fostered distinctly unfavorable evaluations of Black women. Following exposure to sexual rap, as compared with exposure to popular romantic music or to no music exposure, the assessment of these women's personality resulted in a general downgrading of positive traits and a general upgrading of negative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores interdependencies between cognitive and excitatory that concur during experiences of acute anger and the performance of aggressive actions, and it develops the implications of these interdependencies for anger and aggression. Specifically, the influence of cognitive processes on the time course of excitatory activity (mainly, sympathetic dominance in the autonomic nervous system), on anger, and on aggressive behavior is projected from theory and documented with pertinent research findings. The influence of different and changing levels of excitatory activity on cognitive functioning (mainly, the appraisal and reappraisal of endangerments), on anger, and on aggressive behavior is likewise derived from theory and documented with empirical research. Special attention is given to the anger- and aggression-diminishing capacity of the cognitive reassessment of endangering conditions, and to impulsive destructive behaviors that result from the transitory impairment of cognitive functioning at extreme levels of excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between television exposure and viewers' judgments about crime and safety. It describes efforts to determine at which personal or societal level television exposure affects perceptions, as well as the duration of any such effect. It mentions studies that have attempted to find out the impact of media exposure on perceptions about the prevalence of violence in society. Research is cited in the field of cognitive social psychology, which also shows that base rates may have a marginal impact on judgments about others.

Subjects were provoked, exposed to one of six pretested communications (audio-visual messages) differing in cognitive intervention potential, and given opportunities to aggress. The six messages represented a four-level differentiation in cognitive intervention potential: minimal, low, moderate, and high. At the moderate level, a humorous message was included with a nonhumorous one, in order to determine the effect of exposure to a message which could potentially evoke an emotional state incompatible with anger. Similarly, at the high intervention level, an aggressive message was included with a nonaggressive one to test predictions relating to the anger reiteration potential of messages with aggressive contents. Measured were: (1) changes in sympathetic excitation, (2) displaced aggressiveness, and (3) retaliatory behavior. It was found that, for nonaggressive communications, the higher the intervention potential, the greater the decrease of annoyance-produced excitation. In contrast, highly involving aggressive messages reduced excitation only to a degree comparable to that of minimally involving messages. Both displaced aggressiveness and retaliatory behavior were found to be a simple function of level of excitation. The highly involving nonaggressive communication lowered aggressive and hostile activities significantly below the level associated with exposure to either the noninvolving and nonaggressive communication or the highly involving but aggressive communication. The aggression-modifying effect of the humorous communication was as predicted from the consideration of this communication's intervention potential alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study on the correlation between female interest in erotica and the menstrual cycle. Study participants' selection of themed viewing material based on synopses and previews; Evaluation of selected material; Correlation with position in menstrual cycle; Results obtained.

Both male and female subjects provoked or not provoked, exposed to erotic motion pictures that ranged from suggestive to explicitly sexual, or given a control treatment of either a neutral film or a non-communication waiting period, and provided with an opportunity to behave in a hostile manner. It was predicted that provoked persons' hostility would be reduced by minimally arousing but maximally pleasant erotica and increased by maximally arousing but minimally pleasant erotica. Regardless of the degree of sexual explicitness, erotica had no appreciable effect on unprovoked males or females. Excitatory reactions to erotica were comparable for both sexes. There were significant sex differences in the hedonic responses to these stimuli, however. Females reported being disturbed to a much greater degree than did males. Males reported positive affective reactions to films depicting coitus, but not to a film depicting precoital behavior. Inexplicit erotica with positive hedonic valence did not reduce hostile reactions in provoked males, nor did explicit erotica with positive valence facilitate such reactions. The hostile behavior of provoked males and females was enhanced, however, by strongly arousing but moderately disturbing erotica. For females, this condition was met by an explicit film of coitus; for males, in contrast, a film of precoital behavior enhanced hostile reactions. A model of erotica effects is proposed in which excitatory and hedonic reactions are jointly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an incomplete factorial design (N = 50 male and female graduate students), sex of respondent was varied with having witnessed vs. not having witnessed childbirth; a fifth condition involved female respondents who had given birth. Affective reactions to a medical film showing childbirth were obtained in physiological measures and in ratings. Females who had given birth were found to display more intense physiological reactions than the other respondents. They also perceived themselves as more aroused by the film. Aside from the im's effect on females who had given birth, sex of respondent and having witnessed childbirth proved to be negligible factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persuasive effect of the rhetorical elicitation of concession was assessed under conditions of initially favorable and initially unfavorable attitude relative to the attitudinal position advocated. Additionally, the resulting resistance to counterpersuasion was measured. Elicitation of concession resulted in a significant increase of persuasiveness under conditions of favorable attitude, and in a significant decrease of persuasiveness under conditions of unfavorable attitude. Various rationales were developed, and their respective predictive accuracy discussed. A model based mainly on the enhancement of cognitive involvement was evaluated as best accounting for the findings obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the effect of emotional arousal produced prior to exposure to a persuasive message on the impact of this message, subjects were exposed to a persuasive communication immediately after seeing one of four film stimuli selected and pretested to effect a factorial variation in (a) excitatory potential (low, high) and (b) hedonic tone (positive, negative). The subject's residual emotional response to the high-excitation films served as distraction from the subsequent message; the low-excitation films served as non-distracting controls. Different effects on persuasion were predicted from three distinct rationales, based on (a) the distractor's interference with counterarguing, (b) the distractor's interference with the learning of the message, and (c) generalization of the affective reaction produced by the distractor. Counter to all predictions, no significant effects of distraction were manifest. An unpredicted effect of hedonic tone was obtained, how-ever; acceptance of the speaker's persuasive proposal was significantly greater following negative-hedonic than following positive-hedonic film stimuli. A post hoc explanation was attempted on the basis of a postulated "seriousness-set" brought about by the negative-hedonic stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the effects of victim exemplification in television news on viewer perception of social issues. Recording of male and female respondents' perceptions on the issues addressed; Measurement of empathic sensitivities, perception effects, and affective responses; Discussion of various findings.

Examines the effects of exemplification in news reports on the perception of social issues. Journalistic practice of selective exemplar usage; Questions about consequences of the practice of using series of atypical exemplars for the perception and evaluation of the social phenomena addressed in news reports.

Investigates the persuasive effectiveness of the peer appeal and a communicator's first-hand experience on the use intrauterine device (IUD) in the U.S. Degree of age similarity between the interviewee and the subjects; Type of IUD experience of the interviewee; Level of medical experience of the interviewee.

Examines the effect of communication on aggressive behavior. Level of provoked aggressive behavior due to erotic communication; Consequences of aggressive and erotic communication; Impact of violent communication on aggressive behavior.

Male subjects were provoked by a same-sex peer, exposed to (1) comparatively nonarousing, pleasant erotica (girlie fare); (2) arousing, displeasing, and non-aggressive erotica (bestiality); (3) arousing, displeasing, and aggressive erotica (sadomasochism); or (4) not exposed to erotica, and then provided with an opportunity to retaliate against their annoyer. Exposure to arousing, displeasing erotica, regardless of the degree of apparent aggressiveness involved, was found to increase retaliatory aggression relative to no exposure. Presence or absence of aggressive cues in these equally arousing and equally displeasing erotica was of no consequence. Exposure to nonarousing, pleasant erotica, compared to no exposure, had a negligible effect. 7he aggression-facilitating effect of exposure to displeasing, disturbing erotica was explained as the result of annoyance summation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focuses on the use of humor in introductory communication textbooks. Innovation in the publication of textbooks; Emphasis on the synthesis of education; Consistency of the qualities of basic text.

Assesses the use of humor or other entertaining features as pedagogical embellishments in the classroom instructions. Effects of teachers' humor on students class participations; Correlation between humor and the primary education messages; Types of humor.