Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 0021-9916 - ISSN (Online) 1460-2466 Published by Oxford University Press[425 journals]
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Pages: 399 - 412 Abstract: AbstractDrawing upon the theory of reasoned action, the protection motivation theory, and theories of regret, this study proposes and examines three communication strategies to curb the overuse of low-value cancer screening: (a) highlighting negative affective consequences of screening; (b) providing information about diagnostic uncertainty, and (c) using a noncancer disease label. An online survey-based experiment using a 2 (affective message: absent vs. present) × 2 (diagnostic uncertainty information: absent vs. present) × 2 (disease label: thyroid cancer vs. a borderline thyroid neoplasm) full-factorial between-subject design with a control condition was conducted. A total of 612 South Korean women participated. As predicted, the affective message and diagnostic uncertainty information significantly reduced positive attitudes toward screening uptake and anticipated regret regarding screening nonuptake, respectively, thereby reducing screening intention. The noncancer label also reduced screening intention by lowering perceived severity and positive attitude in sequence. PubDate: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad006 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 413 - 426 Abstract: AbstractRecent theorizing on deliberative democracy has put political listening at the core of meaningful democratic deliberation. In the present experiment (N = 827), we investigated whether news media can improve diverse political listening in the United States via a reduction in party cue salience. Although Republican (Democratic) participants showed a strong preference for listening to speeches given by Republican (Democratic) politicians when party cues were highly salient, this bias in selective political listening was reduced or even absent when news items provided no or only low-salience cues. Conditional process analysis indicated that (automatically activated) implicit and (overtly expressed) explicit party attitudes mediated this effect. There are important implications: Current journalism practices tend to exacerbate tribal us-vs-them thinking by emphasizing partisan cues, nudging citizens toward not listening to political ideas from the other political camp. A more helpful news-choice architecture tones down partisan language, nudging citizens toward more diverse political listening. PubDate: Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad007 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 427 - 438 Abstract: AbstractUsing the theory of resilience and relational load, this study examined how married individuals’ baseline communal orientation (CO) and relational load (RL) at the beginning of the pandemic predicted their stress, conflict, mental health, and flourishing during quarantine. Using a Qualtrics Panel, married individuals (N = 3,601) completed four online surveys from April to June 2020. Results revealed the initial levels of CO brought to quarantine predicted less stress and conflict, and better mental health and flourishing at baseline, and these outcomes remained relatively stable across the next 3 months. RL at baseline did the exact opposite for these outcomes, making coping more difficult. We also hypothesized CO and RL moderate the impact of stress (T1) on mental health 3 months later by reducing conflict. Rather than serving as buffers, CO and RL at baseline directly affected conflict (T2/T3) and mental health (T4) throughout quarantine. PubDate: Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad011 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 439 - 451 Abstract: AbstractNumerous studies have shown that individuals’ belief sensitivity—their ability to discriminate between true and false political statements—varies according to psychological and demographic characteristics. We argue that sensitivity also varies with the political and social communication contexts in which they live. Both battleground state status of the state in which individuals live and the level of partisan segregation in a state are associated with Americans’ belief sensitivity. We leverage panel data collected from two samples of Americans, one collected in the first half of 2019 and the other during the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign season. Results indicate that the relationship between living in battleground states and belief sensitivity is contingent on political ideology: living in battleground states, versus in Democratic-leaning states, is associated with lower belief sensitivity among conservatives and higher belief sensitivity among liberals. Moreover, living in a less politically segregated state is associated with greater belief sensitivity. These relationships were only in evidence in the election year. PubDate: Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad017 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 452 - 462 Abstract: AbstractIn the struggle to find sustainable business models, many local news sites have turned to engaged journalism, which draws from social exchange theory and aims to build relationships with audiences. The causal impact of these initiatives is unclear, but important given that local news sites are critical information sources and face dire economic situations. In this study, 20 news sites were randomly assigned to launch a six-month engaged journalism initiative where journalists reported on audience questions or to continue their current practices. Although not a panacea, over time traffic and subscription data and a two-wave survey of audience members across the sites (n = 3,998) show that the initiative resulted in more subscriptions and more positive audience evaluations. The results highlight the applicability of social exchange theory to questions of local news viability and illustrate that engaged journalism can improve relationships between newsrooms and the communities they serve. PubDate: Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad018 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 463 - 475 Abstract: AbstractThe media portray various social groups stereotypically, and studying the effects of these portrayals on prejudice is paramount. Yet, audience selectivity—inherent within today’s high-choice media environments—has largely been disregarded. Relatedly, the predominance of forced-exposure designs is a source of concern. This article proposes the integration of audience selectivity into media stereotype effects research. Study 1 (N = 1,166) indicated that prejudiced individuals tended to approach prejudice-consistent stereotypical news and avoid prejudice-challenging counter-stereotypical news. Using a forced-exposure experiment, study 2 (N = 380) showed detrimental effects of prejudice-consistent news and beneficial effects of prejudice-challenging news. Relying on a self-selected exposure paradigm, study 3 (N = 1,149) provided evidence for preference-based reinforcement. Study 4’s “net-effect perspective” (N = 937) indicated that operationalizing exposure as forced or self-selected can lead to different interpretations of actual societal effects. The findings emphasize the key role played by audience selectivity when studying media effects. PubDate: Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad019 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 476 - 493 Abstract: AbstractMood management theory (MMT) hypothesizes that people select entertainment content to maintain affective homeostasis. However, this hypothesis lacks a formal quantification of each affective attributes’ separate impact on an individual’s media content selection, as well as an integrated cognitive mechanism explaining media selection. Here we present a computational decision-making model that mathematically formalizes this affective media decision-making process. We empirically tested this formalization with the drift-diffusion model using three decision-making experiments. Contrary to MMT, all three studies showed that people prefer negatively valenced and high-arousal media content and that prevailing mood does not shape media selection as predicted by MMT. We also discovered that people are less cautious when choices have larger valence differences. Our results support the proposed mathematical formalization of affective attributes’ influence on media selection, challenge core predictions drawn from MMT, and introduce a new mechanism (response caution) for media selection. PubDate: Mon, 12 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad020 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 494 - 510 Abstract: AbstractThe pervasiveness of digital media renders people constantly connected. Digital inequality theory tends to focus on how socio-digital factors link to technology access, skills, uses, and opportunities derived from such use. It is not clear, however, whether this theoretical lens applies to a time of heightened connection when privilege may also explain intended disconnection. Drawing on data from 1,551 U.S. adults surveyed during the pandemic, we find that younger age, higher education, frequent Internet use, less dependable access, and better skills are related to partaking in voluntary nonuse (e.g., having technology-free moments, switching off the Internet). As digital disconnection emerges from a place of socio-digital privilege as well as disadvantage, in a society of technology abundance, new inequalities arise around who has the freedom to use it in moderation rather than use it at all. Our study extends theoretical notions from digital inequality to the realm of voluntary digital nonuse. PubDate: Sat, 08 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad021 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 511 - 526 Abstract: AbstractCommunicators frequently make adjustments to accommodate receivers’ characteristics. One strategy for accommodation is to enhance the relevance of communication for receivers. The current work uses information targeting—a communication strategy where information is disseminated to audiences believed to experience heightened risk for a health condition—to test whether and why targeting health information based on marginalized racial identities backfires. Online experimental findings from Black and White adults recruited via MTurk (Study 1) and Prolific Academic (Study 2) showed that Black Americans who received targeted (vs. nontargeted) health messages about HIV or flu reported decreased attention to the message and reduced trust in the message provider. White Americans did not differentially respond to targeting. Findings also demonstrated that (a) these negative consequences emerged for Black Americans due to social identity threat, and (b) these consequences predicted downstream cognitive and behavioral responses. Study 2 showed that these consequences replicated when the targeting manipulation signaled relevance directly via marginalized racial identities. Collectively, findings demonstrate that race-based targeting may lead to overaccommodation, thus precluding the expected benefits of relevance. PubDate: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqad022 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2023)
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Pages: 527 - 529 Abstract: A strategic nature: public relations and the politics of environmentalism AronczykMelissa & EspinozaMaria I., Oxford University Press, 2022 $27.95 (soft), pp. 320 PubDate: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqac014 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2022)
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Pages: 530 - 531 Abstract: Mental health among higher education faculty, administrators, and graduate students HouselTeresa Heinz, Lexington Books, New York, 2021, $120, 332 pp. PubDate: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqac029 Issue No:Vol. 73, No. 5 (2022)