LECTURES PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATION – SUMMARY
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION
PART 2: YOUR KNOWLEDGE AS STARTING POINT
Many aspects can influence how persuasive your message is
Goal of the message
Based on problem definition What a persuasive message aims to change
difference between elements awareness is not attitude change, attitude is not behavior
how much processing resources do people need?
Dual process models
Elaboration likelihood model
, LECTURE 2: MEDIA STRATEGY
PART 1: MEDIA EFFECTS
media and media effects
media: communication channels through which messages are conveyed
media effects: how media affect users
modern theories: effects depend on combination of message, medium, audience
Cultivation theory selective exposure theories third-person effect
cultivation theory
media influence conceptions of social reality more you see a message, the more it influences you
audience has shared view on reality because of exposure to system of messages
- system of messages: similarities in multiple messages
- average effect: diverse group of people ‘absorb’ shared meaning
- long-term exposure: repetition ‘cultivates’ values and perspectives
related perspective: agenda setting
- media attention increases perceived importance coverage of a topic in news-media, strengthens the
public perception of importance
process underlying cultivation effects?
cognitive accessibility: cognitions become accessible through frequency, recency, salience
availability heuristic
- hear more about murder in news and more easily available in head and over estimate it, how more you
hear it how more likely it is
representativeness heuristic media can shape pictures, representation what a person would look like
in sum: media can shape/cultivate conceptions about reality, which provides a base for cognitive heuristics
selective exposure theories
media selection results in selective exposure
- choose a medium e.g., internet vs TV
- choose within this medium e.g., one vs the other website
- select information e.g., one vs the other message on website
- no general effects (like cultivation) but conditional effects because of selection depends on made
selection
what drives selection?
- individual selection: preferences, habit, motivations user select different messages in a medium
- technological selection: filtering/personalisation via algorithms personal preference
different selective exposure theories classic: uses-and-gratification theory
uses-and-gratification theory
select based on motivation, for example
- distraction (fleeing), personal relations (company), personal identity (confirmation), information (uptodate)
different motivations, different selection, different effects
different motivations, different effects
- distraction: e.g., more superficial processing
- company: e.g., less critical processing
- confirmation: e.g., more selective (confirmation bias)
- information: e.g., more attention, focus on utility of information
difference within (e.g., variation in motivation) and between people (e.g., different lifestyles)
consequences of selection