Persuasion and entertainment television: Mediational relationships in the hedonic processing of fictional cancer narratives

Nick Carcioppolo, Purdue University

Abstract

Recent research has begun to investigate the potential for entertainment media, consumed ostensibly for hedonic purposes, to yield persuasive health outcomes. The entertainment overcoming resistance model (EORM, Moyer-Guse & Nabi, 2010) attempts to describe the media influence process, and in doing so, explain how entertainment media with health-related storylines can impact health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the audience. The current study represents an assessment and proposed extension of the EORM. Specifically, the purpose of this manuscript is two-fold: (1) to identify a causal ordering among the independent variables of the EORM, and (2) to determine the mediational role of discrete emotions in the media influence process. These proposed relationships were assessed in the context of skin cancer prevention intentions. 274 participants were recruited for this study and were randomly assigned to watch one of two entertainment television narratives featuring skin cancer storylines. Results supported the hypothesized relationships among the independent variables of the EORM, as well as provide evidence that specific discrete emotions mediate the relationship between exposure to entertainment narratives and skin cancer prevention intentions. The findings presented here have implications for the advancement of media effects theory and research as well as applied implications.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Morgan, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Communication|Mass communications

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