David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen

Attitude Accessibility and Persuasion: Review and a Transactive Model

For a number of reasons, communication scholars have neglected the attitude construct. However, recent research on the cognitive basis of attitudes has thrived. This research suggests that the abandonment of the attitude construct may be premature. A complete understanding of how persuasive messages are processed and the effectiveness of attempts at social influence necessitates a reconsideration of the utility of attitudes. This chapter reviews research on an important aspect of the construct: attitude accessibility. Attitudes that are highly accessible from memory are likely to influence the allocation of attention and the degree of message elaboration, result in selective information processing, and influence behavior. Mechanisms by which persuasive messages may make attitudes accessible are discussed, and a model of the transactive relationship between persuasion and attitude accessibility is proposed.

Subjective Knowledge and Fear Appeal Effectiveness: Implications for Message Design

This research investigates the role of perceived health knowledge on the effectiveness of fear-based persuasive appeals. Undergraduates (N = 263) read a strong fear, weak fear, or efficacy-only message encouraging breast or testicular self-examination. As expected, results indicated that men high in subjective knowledge were less reactant and more persuaded by the efficacy-only message whereas those low in subjective knowledge did not evidence this pattern. Contrary to expectation, women high in subjective knowledge had comparable reactions to each of the 3 messages. Implications for fear appeal theory and message design are discussed.

Attitude Accessibility as an Alternative Explanation for How Inoculation Confers Resistance

The investigation examined attitude accessibility as an alternative to the accepted explanation, which is based on threat and counterarguing, for the way that inoculation confers resistance to influence. A total of 333 participants took part in the study in three phases spanning 36 days. The results of multivariate and correlational analyses indicated that inoculation treatments confer resistance, in part, by promoting attitude accessibility. Inoculation treatments immediately elicit attitude accessibility, which enhances attitude strength. Attitude strength, in time, contributes to resistance to the influence of counterattitudinal attacks. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

How self-affirmation reduces defensive processing of threatening health information: Evidence at the implicit level.

OBJECTIVE Self-affirmation reduces defensive responses to threatening health information, but little is known about the cognitive processes instigated by self-affirmation. This study tested whether self-affirmation increases responsiveness to threatening health information at the implicit level. DESIGN In an experimental study (N = 84), the authors presented high- (coffee drinkers) and low-relevance (noncoffee drinkers) participants with threatening health information linking caffeine consumption to health problems. Prior to reading this information, the authors manipulated self-affirmation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participants completed an unobtrusive lexical decision task to measure the accessibility of threat-related cognitions and reported their perceptions of message quality and intentions to take precautions. RESULTS Among high-relevance participants, self-affirmation increased the accessibility of threat-related cognitions, increased perceptions of message quality, and promoted adaptive behavioral intentions. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that self-affirmation can increase implicit responsiveness to threatening health information among a target audience, that is, people for whom the health information is highly relevant.

A Test of the Network Models of Political Priming

Extensive media coverage of a political issue has been shown to influence, or prime, the criteria used to judge overall performance of political leaders. This political priming effect is traditionally explained with network models of memory, which identify priming intensity and recency as key factors in determining the strength and endurance of a priming effect. However, these two assumptions of network models have not been directly tested in media studies. The potential of priming valence to influence the priming effect also has had little treatment. This experiment evaluated priming intensity, recency, and valence within a typical political priming context. In support of previous psychological findings, priming effects were apparent immediately following positively valenced primes, dissipating quickly thereafter. For negative primes, the influence of the prime on judgment formation was contingent on the individuals political leaning, in that individuals who would likely agree with the message exhibited priming effects and individuals who would likely disagree with the message exhibited little effect. The adequacy of applying associative memory models to political priming studies is discussed.

Communication and Social Cognition Theories and Methods

Contents: Preface. J. Monahan, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Celebrating Social Cognition and Communication. Part I: Message Production. J.O. Greene, A.R. Graves, Cognitive Models of Message Production. C. Berger, Communication: A Goal-Directed, Plan-Guided Process. S.R. Wilson, H. Feng, Interaction Goals and Message Production: Conceptual and Methodological Developments. D. Hample, Arguments. Part II: Interpersonal Communication. D.H. Solomon, J.A. Theiss, Cognitive Foundations of Communication in Close Relationships. V. Manusov, Attributions and Interpersonal Communication: Out of Our Heads and Into Behavior. M.E. Roloff, L.M. Van Swol, Shared Cognition and Communication Within Group Decision-Making and Negotiation. A. Koerner, Social Cognition in Family Communication. P.J. Lannutti, J. Monahan, Social Cognition Under the Influence: Drinking While Communicating. Part III: Mass Media. L.J. Shrum, Social Cognition and Cultivation. M.B. Oliver, S. Ramasubramanian, J. Kim, Media and Racism. W.P. Eveland, Jr., M. Seo, News and Politics. B. Roskos-Ewoldsen, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, M. Yang, M. Lee, Comprehension of Media Stories. Part IV: Social Influence. L. Arpan, N. Rhodes, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Attitude Accessibility: Theory, Methods, and Future Directions. R. Nabi, Emotion and Persuasion: A Social Cognitive Perspective. J.R. Meyer, Compliance Gaining. M. Hamilton, Dual Process Models of Persuasion.

Attitude accessibility: Theory, methods, and future directions

Contents: Preface. J. Monahan, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Celebrating Social Cognition and Communication. Part I: Message Production. J.O. Greene, A.R. Graves, Cognitive Models of Message Production. C. Berger, Communication: A Goal-Directed, Plan-Guided Process. S.R. Wilson, H. Feng, Interaction Goals and Message Production: Conceptual and Methodological Developments. D. Hample, Arguments. Part II: Interpersonal Communication. D.H. Solomon, J.A. Theiss, Cognitive Foundations of Communication in Close Relationships. V. Manusov, Attributions and Interpersonal Communication: Out of Our Heads and Into Behavior. M.E. Roloff, L.M. Van Swol, Shared Cognition and Communication Within Group Decision-Making and Negotiation. A. Koerner, Social Cognition in Family Communication. P.J. Lannutti, J. Monahan, Social Cognition Under the Influence: Drinking While Communicating. Part III: Mass Media. L.J. Shrum, Social Cognition and Cultivation. M.B. Oliver, S. Ramasubramanian, J. Kim, Media and Racism. W.P. Eveland, Jr., M. Seo, News and Politics. B. Roskos-Ewoldsen, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, M. Yang, M. Lee, Comprehension of Media Stories. Part IV: Social Influence. L. Arpan, N. Rhodes, D.R. Roskos-Ewoldsen, Attitude Accessibility: Theory, Methods, and Future Directions. R. Nabi, Emotion and Persuasion: A Social Cognitive Perspective. J.R. Meyer, Compliance Gaining. M. Hamilton, Dual Process Models of Persuasion.

Adolescents' Perceptions of Smoking and Stress Reduction:

The present study examined how adolescents perceive the relationship between smoking and stress and where they learn that smoking cigarettes may be an effective stress-reduction mechanism. Eight focus groups were conducted with low-income African American and European American 14- to 16-year-olds in urban and rural locations, in which they suggested that the primary reasons why they smoked—namely, as a coping mechanism (to calm nerves), for social acceptance, and because of environmental influences. Family issues, boyfriend/girlfriend problems, and school were common stressors. Although participants overwhelmingly believed that people smoke to reduce their stress, a few believed that cigarettes do not actually reduce stress. When asked for examples of smoking in popular media, teens predominantly generated examples of individuals smoking to reduce stress. Ethnic and gender differences were found among the types of media in which they had seen smoking, their opinions of anti-smoking messages, and the medias perceived influence.

The Content of Cigarette Counter-Advertising: Are Perceived Functions of Smoking Addressed?

Media campaigns can be an effective tool in reducing adolescent smoking. To better understand the types of ads that have been used in campaigns in the United States, a content analysis was conducted of ads available at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC; Waves 1 through 7). A total of 487 ads were coded. Ads were coded for target audience, primary theme present in the ad, and sensation value—production techniques that have been demonstrated to attract attention and increase arousal. Primary themes extended earlier studies by focusing on the perceived functions of smoking (weight lose, stress management, controlling negative affect) as well as the traditional themes of industry attack, the health consequences of smoking, secondhand smoke, quitting, and the social image of smokers. A majority of ads were rated as having moderate sensation value, and ads targeted at teens and children were, on the average, higher in sensation value than those targeting general audiences. Changes across time suggest that campaigns are focusing more on adolescent smoking and relying more on attacking the tobacco industry. Research indicates that the functions of stress relief, mood regulation, and weight loss are strong reasons for initiating and continuing to smoke cigarettes; however, none of the 487 ads addressed these functional themes. Implications for developing campaigns that more closely relate to the functions of smoking are discussed.

It's About Time: The Need for a Journal Devoted to Communication Research Methodologies

Kurt Lewin is often quoted as saying, “There is nothing so practical as a good theory.” Certainly this is the case, and communication scholars are clearly dedicated to Lewin’s proposition. A quick perusal of communication journals demonstrates our collective commitment to theory: Communication Theory, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, Research on Language and Social Interaction, Media Psychology, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Mass Communication & Society, and so on. All of these journals place a premium on publishing strong theoretically oriented manuscripts. But we would add a further caveat to Lewin’s statement: “Whereas there is nothing so practical as a good theory, assessing the goodness of a theory requires sound method.” Other disciCOMMUNICATION METHODS AND MEASURES, 1(1), 1–5 Copyright