This project examined whether the theory of reactance can be used to explain the hostile media effect (HME). Two studies representing traditional and relative HME contexts examined whether variables associated with reactance such as personality characteristics, involvement, and social power were related to bias judgments that are commonly associated with the HME. Measures of self esteem and trait aggression were found to have no association with bias judgments in either study. Partisanship and third-person effect in the HME were used as parallels to involvement and social power in reactance. Partisanship was strongly correlated to involvement. Partisanship and third-person effect (perception of threat) were positively associated with bias in a traditional HME experiment. Perceptions of a source's persuasive intentions and third-person effect (perception of threat) were found positively associated with bias judgments in a relative HME study. Some behavioral intentions reflecting freedom-restoring activities that are associated with reactance were found to be positively associated with bias judgments in both studies. Additionally, the project used affective/cognitive models of reactance as guides for developing affective/cognitive path models of the HME. The hypothesized models were not a good fit for the data. However, the subsequent exploratory models suggested that viewing the HME from the perspective of reactance could expand the HME from its bias orientation to include affect and behavior which the results suggest are important aspects of the HME experience. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / April 23, 2008. / Reactance, Hostile Media Effect, News / Includes bibliographical references. / Laura M. Arpan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Elizabeth A. Plant, Outside Committee Member; Gary R. Heald, Committee Member; Arthur A. Raney, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_254109 |
| Contributors | Kinnally, William (authoraut), Arpan, Laura M. (professor directing dissertation), Plant, Elizabeth A. (outside committee member), Heald, Gary R. (committee member), Raney, Arthur A. (committee member), School of Communication (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds