Justin Robert Keene

Dynamic motivated processing of emotional trajectories in public service announcements

ABSTRACT This manuscript, based upon previous work related to the dynamic processing of emotional trajectories, investigated how variable trajectories of emotional content can elicit motivational activation over time. Specifically, five emotional trajectories were examined: pleasant, unpleasant, pleasant and unpleasant simultaneously, pleasant leading to unpleasant, and unpleasant leading to pleasant. The resources available for encoding were indexed via secondary task reaction times, and memory was assessed via audio and video recognition. The results indicated that audio recognition improves as activation increases in the appetitive system while visual recognition improves as activation in the aversive system increases. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of communication theory and practice.

On the Use of Beats-Per-Minute and Interbeat Interval in the Analysis of Cardiac Responses to Mediated Messages

The measurement of an individual’s heart rate has many relevant theoretical implications for communication research. However, there are reasons to believe that the most common way of reporting cardiac response—beats per minute (BPM)—might not be appropriate for all methodological situations. This article presents an overview of the historical use of cardiac activity within communication research, and provides a summary of the current conceptualizations of attention and resource allocation. To fully understand the difference between BPM and interbeat interval (IBI)—an alternate method for reporting cardiac response—a comparative analysis was performed on a data set from a previously published study. This article concludes with a set of suggestions that researchers may want to consider when utilizing BPM or IBI within communication research.

A Biopsychological Model of Anti-drug PSA Processing: Developing Effective Persuasive Messages

For the current study, we developed and tested a biopsychological model to combine research on psychological tension, the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing, and the endocrine system to predict and understand how people process anti-drug PSAs. We predicted that co-presentation of pleasant and unpleasant information, vs. solely pleasant or unpleasant, will trigger evaluative tension about the target behavior in persuasive messages and result in a biological response (increase in cortisol, alpha amylase, and heart rate). In experiment 1, we assessed the impact of co-presentation of pleasant and unpleasant information in persuasive messages on evaluative tension (conceptualized as attitude ambivalence), in experiment 2, we explored the impact of co-presentation on endocrine system responses (salivary cortisol and alpha amylase), and in experiment 3, we assessed the impact of co-presentation on heart rate. Across all experiments, we demonstrated that co-presentation of pleasant and unpleasant information, vs. solely pleasant or unpleasant, in persuasive communications leads to increases in attitude ambivalence, salivary cortisol, salivary alpha amylase, and heart rate. Taken together, the results support the initial paths of our biopsychological model of persuasive message processing and indicate that including both pleasant and unpleasant information in a message impacts the viewer. We predict that increases in evaluative tension and biological responses will aid in memory and cognitive processing of the message. However, future research is needed to test that hypothesis.

Explaining parental coviewing: The role of social facilitation and arousal

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationship between parental coviewing and children’s psychophysiological responses to television exposure within a framework of social facilitation. A total of 88 children aged 6–13 years and one of each of their parents participated in a 2 (presence or absence of the parent) × 2 (exciting or non-exciting TV content) between-subjects experiment. Results indicated that the presence of a coviewing parent was associated with an increase in children’s arousal (higher skin conductance levels) and cognitive resource allocation (lower heart rate), especially for younger children who came from homes where parental coviewing was a relatively frequent activity. These findings suggest that the mere presence of a coviewing parent is sufficient to alter children’s processing of television messages.

The biological roots of political extremism

Abstract. Recent research has revealed the complex origins of political identification and the possible effects of this identification on social and political behavior. This article reports the results of a structural equation analysis of national survey data that attempts to replicate the finding that an individuals negativity bias predicts conservative ideology. The analysis employs the Motivational Activation Measure (MAM) as an index of an individuals positivity offset and negativity bias. In addition, information-seeking behavior is assessed in relation to traditional and interactive media sources of political information. Results show that although MAM does not consistently predict political identification, it can be used to predict extremeness of political views. Specifically, high negativity bias was associated with extreme conservatism, whereas low negativity bias was associated with extreme liberalism. In addition, political identification was found to moderate the relationship between motivational traits and information-seeking behavior.

Text On Screen: Can Emotionally Incongruent Combinations of Media Frames and Messages Elicit Coactivation in the Motivational Systems

ABSTRACT Social media is becoming one of the most common deployment methods for antidrug and risk message campaigns. This is largely due to the low cost and high distribution that social media affords. This article argues that the social media approach to antidrug messaging also results in greater attention to the message over time. This article reports results from a study that examined how the combination of a short gain-or-loss framed text message interacts with a subsequent pleasant or unpleasant antidrug video message to influence motivational activation and information processing. Based on previous work investigating how different emotional trajectories in public service announcements (PSAs) elicit different patterns of motivational activation and cognitive processing, it was predicted, and found, that emotionally incongruent combinations of the text frame and video content resulted in the coactivation of the motivational systems. Placing a gain frame before a video message affects the overall processing of the subsequent message such that even an unpleasant message is rated more positively and results in a pattern of resource availability more like what we see for pleasant messages. Motivational activation and the subsequent effects on cognitive and emotional reactions are discussed within the context of multi-modal anti-drug campaigns.

The limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing: taking stock of the past

ABSTRACT In the 15 years since its inception, the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) has contributed to understanding regarding the dynamics of message processing in a variety of domains. In this manuscript we outline the foundations and assumptions of the LC4MP, discussing salient research from biology, cognitive psychology, and communication upon which the model is built. We then conduct a systematic review of the LC4MP literature with a focus on three primary domains: cognitive load, motivated processing, and memory. In a companion piece (Fisher, Huskey, Keene, & Weber, 2018) we look to the future of the model, incorporating recent findings from communication and cognate fields to inform an updated suite of predictions.

The limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing: looking to the future

ABSTRACT In a companion piece (Fisher, Keene, Huskey, & Weber, 2018), we reviewed the foundations and current state of the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP). In this manuscript we return to the three areas investigated in our review: cognitive load, motivation, and memory. In each domain, we: (a) outline areas in which the LC4MP has produced unexpected or ambiguous findings; (b) look broadly at literature from biology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience to inform and clarify definitions of key terms; (c) develop an updated, cohesive framework of assumptions and predictions of the LC4MP; and (d) propose a roadmap for testing the proposed framework. We conclude with a discussion of the LC4MPs continued relevance for understanding dynamic, interactive, multimodal communication phenomena.