Research Interests:
ABSTRACT For the first time in the history of televised presidential debates, organizers in 1992 used undecided voters to query the candidates, a significant deviation from the traditional practice of using experienced journalists. The... more
ABSTRACT For the first time in the history of televised presidential debates, organizers in 1992 used undecided voters to query the candidates, a significant deviation from the traditional practice of using experienced journalists. The present study uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare the questions asked by undecided voters and reporters. Results indicate reporters used more successful question types and asked questions more concisely, however they were equally if not more likely to jeopardize question clarity. Reporters were also more likely to ask more argumentative, accusatory, and leading questions. Both groups did reasonably well addressing topics considered important in making vote decisions.
Research Interests:
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one's own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot... more
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one's own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot forestall the influence of that content on other children. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The four studies in this issue–by happenstance all submitted on similar topics, using similar methods, and at approximately the same time to the same journal–indicate the centrality of the study of political learning from communication... more
The four studies in this issue–by happenstance all submitted on similar topics, using similar methods, and at approximately the same time to the same journal–indicate the centrality of the study of political learning from communication sources to the broader domain of political communication scholarship. The fact that two articles are by political scientists and two are by communication scholars also communicates that researchers in both fields are working on and making solid contributions to this topic. There are many consistencies, as well as ...
Research Interests:
The purpose of this study was to examine more closely the assumptions of causality in research on communication and political knowledge. Although most communication theory suggests that communication causes learning, some have argued for... more
The purpose of this study was to examine more closely the assumptions of causality in research on communication and political knowledge. Although most communication theory suggests that communication causes learning, some have argued for the reverse causal direction or reciprocal causality. Others have confounded these concepts—in conjunction with political interest—in measures of political “sophistication” or “expertise.” We collected panel data (N= 1,109) on a national sample in June and November 2000. We employed a ...
Research Interests:
Page 1. 215 Political Communication, 17:215237, 2000 Copyright ã 2000 Taylor & Francis 1058-4609/00 $12.00 + .00 Connecting News Media Use with Gaps in Knowledge and Participation WILLIAM P. EVELAND, JR., and DIETRAM A. SCHEUFELE ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Political discussion networks are influenced by the opportunities for political interactions within our larger social environments and more general discussion networks. In this study we compare general and political discussion... more
ABSTRACT Political discussion networks are influenced by the opportunities for political interactions within our larger social environments and more general discussion networks. In this study we compare general and political discussion networks using full sociometric social network data from a probability sample of voluntary organizations—specifically, intact student activity groups from a large Midwest research university. We find that even within these “weak tie” voluntary associations, general discussion networks clearly constrain the characteristics of the political discussion networks. However, political discussion networks appear to be less dense and more likely to be broken up into disconnected components than the general discussion networks. But, general and political networks do not appear to differ in their structuring by perceptions of discussant knowledge. And, most interestingly, we find that on average neither general nor political discussion networks are characterized by political homogeneity.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT This study examines the dissipation of “rally effects” in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War using data from a panel of 167 New Castle County (Delaware) respondents interviewed during the war and one year later. Public support... more
ABSTRACT This study examines the dissipation of “rally effects” in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War using data from a panel of 167 New Castle County (Delaware) respondents interviewed during the war and one year later. Public support for the war and confidence in the president, Congress, and the military declined significantly. Hostility toward antiwar protesters also diminished. The study combines the “rally around the flag” literature from political science and functional conflict theory from sociology to explain the impact of this major external conflict on support for government institutions and intolerance for elements perceived as a potential threat.
Research Interests:
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one's own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot... more
... Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. ... Logically, restricting one's own child from viewing violent or sexualtelevision cannot forestall the influence of that content on other children. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Past research has demonstrated that nonlinear Web presentations (ie, those that allow viewing in multiple orders) may lead to decreased free recall and learning of factual information compared to traditional, print-like linear Web... more
Past research has demonstrated that nonlinear Web presentations (ie, those that allow viewing in multiple orders) may lead to decreased free recall and learning of factual information compared to traditional, print-like linear Web designs. Recent evidence suggests, however, that nonlinear designs may facilitate learning of the interconnectedness of the presented information. This article presents experimental data from a combined sample of college students and adults (N= 172) manipulating site design and motivation ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT We test an uninvestigated proposition from spiral of silence theory that fear of social isolation (FSI) prompts people to seek out information about the climate of public opinion. Taking a trait-based individual difference... more
ABSTRACT We test an uninvestigated proposition from spiral of silence theory that fear of social isolation (FSI) prompts people to seek out information about the climate of public opinion. Taking a trait-based individual difference perspective, the authors develop and validate a measure of FSI that is less likely to produce the interpretational problems that plague existing measures. Then, using data from eight countries spread across four continents, the authors examine whether those who fear social isolation to a greater extent are more likely to attend to a particular source of information in the social environment about public opinion—mass media reports of public opinion polls. Study results support spiral of silence theory’s prediction—FSI does appear to motivate people to ascertain what the public thinks. However, there may be some cultural boundaries to this process.
Research Interests:
... United States, many people have expressed concern that rap musicespecially rap with violent or misogynie lyricsis harmful to not only the youth of society ... Thompson, Chaffee, and Oshagan (1990) found that perceptions of the... more
... United States, many people have expressed concern that rap musicespecially rap with violent or misogynie lyricsis harmful to not only the youth of society ... Thompson, Chaffee, and Oshagan (1990) found that perceptions of the negative effects of pornography on others ...
Research Interests:
Researchers have proposed a social distance corollary to the third-person perception to explain the common finding that as comparison groups become more different from the self or more generally described, the size of the third-person... more
Researchers have proposed a social distance corollary to the third-person perception to explain the common finding that as comparison groups become more different from the self or more generally described, the size of the third-person perception increases (i.e., media messages are perceived to have greater negative impact on others than self). The two studies presented here investigate whether third-person perceptions
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
For the first time in the history of televised presidential debates, organizers in 1992 used undecided voters to query the candidates, a significant deviation from the traditional practice of using experienced journalists. The present... more
For the first time in the history of televised presidential debates, organizers in 1992 used undecided voters to query the candidates, a significant deviation from the traditional practice of using experienced journalists. The present study uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare the questions asked by undecided voters and reporters. Results indicate reporters used more successful question types and asked
Research Interests:
International Journal of Public Opinion Research Vol. 17 No. 4 © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved. doi:10.1093/ijpor/edh111 ... The... more
International Journal of Public Opinion Research Vol. 17 No. 4 © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved. doi:10.1093/ijpor/edh111 ... The editors wish to thank the following colleagues for reviewing manuscripts in 2004/2005. ... Adoni, Hanna Althaus, Scott Baggaley, Jon Bauer, Martin Behme, Heinz Beltrán, Ulises Bonfadelli, Heinz Bottomley, David Brettschneider, Frank Brosius, Hans-Bernd Caspi, Dan Chan, Joseph Man Daschmann, ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT The present study seeks to contribute to the literature on learning differences across media by extending the traditional television news versus newspaper comparison to include reading of online news. It employs an experimental... more
ABSTRACT The present study seeks to contribute to the literature on learning differences across media by extending the traditional television news versus newspaper comparison to include reading of online news. It employs an experimental design, but with exposure over time and a reasonable delay between exposure and the measurement of learning. It also moves beyond simple comparisons of effects to examine potential information-processing explanations for any differences that may appear across conditions as the result of both experimental demand and real differences across media. The results suggest that the medium of communication may have different effects depending on the type of learning measured. Recall of news stories tended to favor television and print newspapers compared to online newspapers, but structuring of election knowledge favored online newspapers compared to print and television news. In addition, findings suggest that information-processing behaviors-specifically attention-are encouraged by a combination of the nature of the medium and the experimental context.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The present study seeks to contribute to the literature on learning differences across media by extending the traditional television news versus newspaper comparison to include reading of online news. It employs an experimental design,... more
The present study seeks to contribute to the literature on learning differences across media by extending the traditional television news versus newspaper comparison to include reading of online news. It employs an experimental design, but with exposure over time and a ...
Research Interests:
... Abstract: Proposes an interactive model of political development that predicts that socialization effects of communication will be moderated by age, such that younger children will be influenced less than older children by ...... more
... Abstract: Proposes an interactive model of political development that predicts that socialization effects of communication will be moderated by age, such that younger children will be influenced less than older children by ... Discusses implications for future socialization research. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The increasing use of online news, particularly by young Americans, pointsto the importance of understanding what users learn from this form of news and whether features of online news encourage or discourage various types of learning.... more
The increasing use of online news, particularly by young Americans, pointsto the importance of understanding what users learn from this form of news and whether features of online news encourage or discourage various types of learning. This experimental study demonstrates that online news that takes advantage of one of the key characteristics of the Web—the use of in-text hyperlinks—may actually discourage learning of the facts that make up many news stories. But this same linking structure apparently encourages those who commonly use the Web to have more densely interconnected knowledge structures for public affairs topics. However, those who rarely use the Webfor news do not gain such advantages and may even suffer disadvantages. These findings point to limitations in most past online news learning research, which has been limited to “just the facts” in its measurement of learning from the news.
Research Interests:
JACK M. MCLEOD KATIE DAILY ZHONGSHIGUO WILLIAM P. EVELAND, JR. JAN BAYER SEUNGCHANYANG HSU WANG Community Integration, Local Media Use, and Democratic Processes1 Research on dimensions of community integration has suffered from the lack... more
JACK M. MCLEOD KATIE DAILY ZHONGSHIGUO WILLIAM P. EVELAND, JR. JAN BAYER SEUNGCHANYANG HSU WANG Community Integration, Local Media Use, and Democratic Processes1 Research on dimensions of community integration has suffered from the lack of clear conceptual ...