Suchergebnisse

How does abstract and concrete thinking about health messages impact the mental representation about a public health issue and the consequent attitudes and knowledge? The dissertation assesses in two studies how situated factors such as mood or construal level, individual preferences for abstract and concrete thinking, and cultural differences due to holistic and central thinking affect the influence of health messages on attitudes and behavioral intentions (i.e., organ or blood donation). The dissertation introduces a new coding procedure for thought listings to measure the concrete or abstract construal level of media users. Results show that individuals in a positive mood (vs. a negative mood) and from a collectivistic cultural background (vs. individualistic) show more positive attitudes, report stronger intentions to act and judge blood donation to be more relevant, partially because the participants showed a more abstract construal of the blood donation message. These results are limited to the non-narrative presentation of information.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden das von Ertel entwickelte 'Dogmatismus-Textauswertungs-Verfahren' (DOTAV) sowie das von Günther & Groeben entwickelte 'Abstraktheitssuffix-Verfahren' (ASV) hinsichtlich ihrer kognitionskritischen Möglichkeiten besprochen. Das DOTAV stelle ich als ein von der Herkunft und Absicht ideologiekritisches Textanalyseinstrument vor und analysiere mögliche alternative Bedeutungen (unter 1.). Das ASV beschreibe ich (unter 2.) als Beispiel einer anderen Kategorie potentiell kognitionskritischer Textanalyseinstrumente, nämlich in Hinblick auf 'kognitive Effizienz'. Beide Verfahren werden (unter 3.) auf ihre Eignung und Spezifität als kognitionskritische Verfahren verglichen und bewertet.

Abstract
The desire to experience emotions is widely considered to be a key motivation for media use, especially for the use of media entertainment. But what exactly do people seek when they seek emotions? What kinds of gratifications do they obtain from the experience of emotions during media use? An overview of research on emotional gratifications shows that emotions can be gratifying in multiple ways – ranging from simple hedonistic gratifications to more complex gratifications such as feeling competent or morally good. An integrative framework is outlined that aims at a more systematic understanding of emotional gratifications and their influence on selective media use. We suggest that different aspects of an emotion's gratification potential are appraised simultaneously, and integrated into a holistic appraisal outcome that can be conceptualized as 'meta-emotion'. Meta-emotions guide the recipient's intuitive decision to accept, or reject a media offer's invitation to experience emotions.

Abstract. Most communication studies on children and media have focused solely on television. Other popular media products such as narrative audio tapes have been neglected. The present article addresses factors that influence preschoolers' selective exposure to these tapes. In line with past research, the emotional attractiveness of a story's protagonist and some formal design elements of the product are regarded as determinants of children's frequency and persistence of using a given tape. An experimental diary study with 79 preschoolers revealed that both factors do in fact influence children's usage of the tape. The resulting implications for fundamental and applied research on children and media are discussed.

Abstract
Research on video game violence has focused on the impact of aggression, but has so far neglected the processes and mechanisms underlying the enjoyment of video game violence. The present contribution examines a specific process in this context, namely players' strategies to cope with moral concern that would (in real-life settings) arise from violent actions. Based on Bandura's (2002) theory of moral disengagement, we argue that in order to maintain their enjoyment of game violence, players find effective strategies to avoid or cope with the moral conflict related to their violent behaviors in the game world ('moral management'). Exploratory interviews with ten players of violent video games revealed some relevance of moral reasoning to their game enjoyment, and several strategies that help players to 'manage' moral concern. Most importantly, respondents referred to the game-reality distinction and their focus on winning the game when explaining how violent action is a by-product of good performance. Findings are discussed in light of further theorizing on 'moral management' and potential links to the media violence debate.

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Angebot und Wirkung extremistischer Internetpropaganda. Er skizziert sowohl Erkenntnisse zur Wirkung rechtsextremistischer als auch islamistischer Internetvideos. Darüber hinaus werden aktuelle Ansätze zu Gegenbotschaften und deren Wert als Präventionsmaßnahme, vor allem aufgrund der hochgeschätzten Möglichkeit ihrer ressourcenschonenden Erstellung und Verbreitung vorgestellt. Im Anschluss werden Implikationen für die medienpädagogische Arbeit, Präventionsmöglichkeiten und weitere Gegenmaßnahmen diskutiert.