Shelley Wigley

The process of relationship development and deterioration: Turning points in friendships that have terminated

This study examines friendships that have ended. Five recalled trajectories for dissolved friendships were found. Certain turning points were generally associated with increases in friendship closeness, while others were associated with decreases in closeness. In addition, gender differences were found for several of the turning points reported. Implications are discussed for interpersonal communication research based on a traditional linear conceptualization of relational development and deterioration.

Inoculation and Mental Processing: The Instrumental Role of Associative Networks in the Process of Resistance to Counterattitudinal Influence

This investigation introduced the concept of associative networks to the resistance domain. A four-phase experiment was conducted involving 298 participants. The results confirmed the role of known elements in the process of resistance: the core elements of threat, issue involvement, and counterarguing output facilitated resistance, as did the more recently introduced element of attitude certainty. Also, the results indicated that inoculation treatments modified the structure of associative networks, planting additional nodes and increasing the linkages between nodes. Subsequently, changes in the structure of associative networks contributed to resistance to counterattitudinal attacks.

The Influence of Corporate Front-Group Stealth Campaigns

This research examined corporate front-group stealth campaigns. An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of front-group stealth campaigns on a variety of measures. It was anticipated that corporate front-group stealth campaigns, which feature names that mask the true interests of sponsors, positively affect public opinion, unless they are exposed as intentionally misleading, in which case they boomerang against sponsors. The experiment examined the potential of the inoculation strategy to preempt the influence of corporate front-group stealth campaigns. The pattern of results supported all of these expectations. Front-group stealth campaigns proved to be effective, at least in the short term. Front-group stealth campaigns eroded public attitudes toward the issue in question and boosted perceptions of the front group, but not the corporate sponsor. However, when front-group stealth campaigns were subsequently exposed, positive effects dissipated and perceptions of corporate sponsors boomeranged. Results revealed that inoculation can protect against the influence of front-group stealth campaigns.

Reported Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Levels: The Influence of Type of Argument

Arguments in interpersonal relationships can be divided into two types: public issue arguments and personal issue arguments. This study examines the ability of type of argument, trait argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness, and gender to predict reported argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness levels related to a particular argument episode. Reported argumentativeness levels were higher in the public argument condition, and reported verbal aggressiveness levels were higher in the personal argument condition. Trait argumentativeness predicted reported argumentativeness levels better in the public argument condition than the personal argument condition, suggesting that type of argument may serve as a moderator for the relationship between trait argumentativeness levels and argument-specific argumentativeness levels. Implications for using these two scales to examine interpersonal argument are discussed.

Where Media Turn During Crises: A Look at Information Subsidies and the Virginia Tech Shootings

This pilot study explored the use of official and nonofficial sources as information subsidies in coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings and introduced a new type of information subsidy—new technology sources. Results indicated that reporters used significantly more new technology sources as information subsidies during the first two days of the crisis compared to the latter stage of the crisis, and that nonofficial sources were used to a greater extent than official sources. This study advances the literature on information subsidies by introducing a new type of subsidy, new technology, and therefore provides a benchmark for future studies on the use of new technology as an information subsidy in news coverage.

Examining the impact of negative, user-generated content on stakeholders

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to (n=472) examine how negative, user-generated content on Facebook impacts stakeholders’ perceptions of the organization. Design/methodology/approach – At Phase 1, stakeholders’ perceptions about the organization – public relationship, corporate social responsibility, attitude toward the organization, and reputation of the organization were assessed. A week later, at Phase 2, participants were exposed to negative Facebook comments. This study employed the theory of inoculation as a way to bolster stakeholders’ attitudes to protect against attitude shift following exposure to negative, user-generated comments. Findings – Paired sample t-tests indicate stakeholders’ perceptions of the organization – public relationship and corporate social responsibility significantly decrease after stakeholders read negative, user-generated content. The pattern of means supports the idea inoculation can prevent against attitude shift. Practical implications – Strategic communication ...

Arguing with emotion: A closer look at affect and the inoculation process

This study explored the role of affect in the counterarguing process of inoculation by introducing the concept of affective counterarguments. Although previous studies have used affective inoculation treatments, this is the first study to identify and assess affective counterarguments. As expected, cognitive inoculation treatments led to the recognition of more cognitive counterarguments, whereas affective inoculation treatments led to the recognition of more affective counterarguments. Surprisingly, the study also found that participants rated affective counterarguments as significantly stronger than cognitive counterarguments. Results indicate that affective counterarguing does occur and that participants feel significantly stronger about affective counterarguments than they do about cognitive counterarguments.

Online News Web Sites More Likely Than Newspapers to Use New Technology Sources

On Monday April 16, 2007, a gunman opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech and killed 32 students before killing himself. According to Broadcasting & Cable, viewers turned to the web for information on the shootings at Virginia Tech as never before.1 Perhaps one of the most memorable images of the tragedy was a cell phone video, sent to CNN by Virginia Tech graduate student Jamal Albarghouti, which showed armed police surrounding a campus building as gunfire sounded in the background.This study examined how technology impacted source diversity by analyzing media coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. The study also seeks to extend research on the use of official sources in news coverage and introduces a new concept-that of new technology sources.Literature ReviewThe framers of the Constitution believed that democracy is enhanced by open and robust discussion of ideas. Graber2 wrote that a free press provides a forum for discussion of conflicting ideas by reflecting the diversity of opinions.3 Journalistic principles require that information come from numerous sources, including average citizens as well as public officials, representing differing viewpoints and opinions. The public journalism approach has echoed the same principles.4Early source diversity studies found that government-affiliated or official sources dominate daily news content.5 Martin6 found the proximity of a news organization affects the number of stories published about more distant geographical areas. Also, when a news organization is farther from a news event, more high-level or official sources are quoted. Soloski7 found that most local stories came from government sources. However, an exception was Salwens8 study, which investigated newspaper coverage of Hurricane Andrew and discovered that media did not rely heavily on official sources. In fact, Salwen discovered that individuals, or non-official sources, were quoted far more often than were government officials.Waxman9 was one of the first to recognize the medias use of technology as sources. In his study of the crisis coverage, Waxman found that nearly all information was conveyed in the form of unedited home video, considered a new technology in the 1970s, and phone calls from bystanders.Over the past two years, broadcast and cable networks have launched online ventures encouraging viewers to share their stories, videos and pictures with the world. A cell phone captured the first images of the shootings at Virginia Tech, and these images were used on CNNs broadcasts and Web site.Within two days of the shootings, CNN received well more than 100 videos and photos through I-Report. I-Report content accounted for more than two million of the 11.4 million video views posted on the Web site the day of the shooting.10Research QuestionsIn an effort to investigate source diversity the following research questions were developed:RQ1:Was there a significant difference between the number of official and unofficial sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage?RQ2:Was there a significant difference between the number of new technology sources and non-new technology sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage?RQ3:Was there a significant difference between the number of official and unofficial sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage during the first stage of the crisis?RQ4:Was there a significant difference between the number of new technology and non-new technology sources used in newspaper and television Web site news coverage during the first stage of the crisis?RQ5:Was there a significant difference in the number of new technology sources used by newspapers and those used by the Web sites of cable and broadcast news networks?RQ6:Was there a significant difference in the number of official sources used by newspapers and those used by Web sites of cable and broadcast news networks? …