Carina Weinmann

Political Learning Through Entertainment – Only an Illusion?

The purpose of this study is to explain viewers’ entertainment and feelings of being informed when watching political talk shows on German TV, depending on their viewing motivations. First, an exploratory survey (N = 189) aims to identify the motivation. Results show that some participants had a strong interest in gaining political information by following such shows, while others simply watch them for entertainment purposes. Drawing on the concept of infotainment as well as on the elaboration likelihood model as a basis for entertainment and the feeling of being informed, four hypotheses are then tested in a 2 × 2 (focus on entertaining features versus focus on information × talk show containing a video clip versus talk show containing no video clip) experiment with 63 subjects. The results suggest that people felt better informed and were more entertained through political talk shows when watching them with a focus on entertaining features rather than with a focus on information. However, whether a talk...

Learning from entertaining online video clips? Enjoyment and appreciation and their differential relationships with knowledge and behavioral intentions

Based on assumptions from entertainment theory, an online-study (N?=?419) was conducted to investigate the differential relationships between enjoyment and appreciation of a video clip that dealt with the features of natural gas as fuel for cars, objective and subjective knowledge about the content of that clip, and behavioral intentions of dealing with the topic of natural gas. Structural equation modeling revealed that enjoyment was directly positively related to objective and subjective knowledge. However, objective knowledge did not predict and subjective knowledge was only weakly associated with behavioral intentions. Appreciation, in contrast, was directly negatively related to knowledge acquisition and not related to subjective knowledge, but was the best predictor for behavioral intentions. These results point to the distinct processes and relationships of different entertainment experiences. Implications for entertainment-education and online video portals are discussed. We analyzed responses to an educational, entertaining online video about natural gas.We examined how entertainment experiences are related to knowledge and behavioral intentions.Enjoyment was positively associated with objective and subjective knowledge.Appreciation was the best direct predictor of behavioral intentions.We discuss implications for entertainment-education and online video portals.

Approaching science by watching TV: what do entertainment programs contribute to viewers’ competence in genetic engineering?

This study examined the potential of entertainment-education (E-E) for promoting engagement with a science issue. It was assumed that certain entertaining features of a media experience increase viewers’ perceived knowledge about an issue. Drawing on different theoretical models of E-E and on persuasive effects of narrative media messages, three hypotheses and one research question were assessed in a survey among 103 participants, who were shown a movie about genetic engineering beforehand. Results suggested that the higher viewers’ transportation, identification, and enjoyment were, the more they actually felt informed. Viewers’ degree of transportation, though, revealed to be sufficient to explain their perceived knowledge.

Feeling political interest while being entertained? Explaining the emotional experience of interest in politics in the context of political entertainment programs.

The purpose of this study is to explain the interest of individuals in political issues during the exposure to political entertainment programs from an emotion psychological perspective. It is based on the emotion-attribution theory of interest (Silvia, 2006), which addresses both the development of short-term and long-term interests of individuals and on two-process models of entertainment experiences during media consumption (Vorderer & Reinecke, 2012). The results of a between-subjects online experiment (N = 201) partially support the theory’s basic assumptions. Further, they reveal supporting preconditions prompted by the programs and their audience, with the most important one being eudaimonic entertainment experiences of the audience. Taken as a whole, the findings suggest political entertainment programs to be powerful resources for eliciting interest in politics among citizens.

Testing Measurement Invariance of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Entertainment Experiences Across Media Formats

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate the measurement invariance of media users’ entertainment experiences as conceptualized by two-process models of entertainment (i.e., enjoyment and appreciation) across different media formats. With this purpose, the present research relates to the recent rise of entertainment research, embracing more and more media types and formats with which entertainment experiences may occur. At the same time, it addresses a methodological issue that has rarely been addressed in communication research. Focusing on one of the most often used measurement instruments in entertainment research, on three different media formats (political talk shows, comedies, and dramas), the study finds evidence for configural, metric, and scalar invariance for the scale. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Curving Entertainment: The Curvilinear Relationship Between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Entertainment Experiences While Watching a Political Talk Show and Its Implications for Information Processing.

Two studies were conducted to test the relation between hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experiences as well as their respective influence on information processing while watching a political talk show on TV. Assumptions from entertainment theory and positive psychology served as theoretical basis. A curvilinear relationship between hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experiences was found through an online survey (N = 675). The second study (N = 132) was an experiment in which hedonic entertainment experiences were manipulated. Again, a curvilinear relationship between both entertainment experiences was detected. Furthermore, entertainment experiences were associated with information processing in a meaningful pattern. These results point to the distinct relationships and effects of different forms of entertainment experiences. Implications for political media and entertainment education are discussed.

Saving Tiger, Orangutan & Co: how subjective knowledge and text complexity influence online information seeking and behavior

ABSTRACT Besides others, subjective knowledge ‒ the feeling of being knowledgeable ‒ as well as the complexity of a communicated content have been shown to have an impact on different behavioral outcomes ‒ also in the field of consumer choices. However, it remains open how both factors influence subsequent outcomes such as information seeking, behavioral intentions, or actual choice behavior ‒ especially related to environmental issues. With a 2 (high/low subjective knowledge) × 2 (high/low complex information) between-subjects design (N = 87), we investigated the effects of subjective knowledge and complexity of an online news text about a specific environmental topic (i.e., palm oil) on behavioral intentions, online information seeking as well as on behavioral choices. Higher subjective knowledge raised the probability to volunteer for an NGO and the duration of time spent on a palm oil-related webpage. Environmental attitudes determined the general likelihood to engage in palm oil-related web search and the number of webpages visited. Text complexity did not influence the target variables.