MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY & EFFECTS

The research group “Media Psychology and Effects“ addresses the issues of media reception, media selection, and media effects in research and teaching. In the focus of interest are the selection of specific media outlets or content and their effects on emotions, judgment formation, knowledge, and behavior. These issues are approached from two perspectives: on the one hand from a persuasion research perspective and on the other hand from an emotion research perspective.

In the context of persuasion, we deal with the following questions:

How do the media influence public opinion formation?

To what extent do media messages reinforce, attenuate, or change people's attitudes?

How do audience members cope with mediated persuasion?

What are the behavioral results of the persuasive impact of media information (e.g., purchase or voting behavior)?

In the context of emotion research, we address the following questions:

How does the audience perceive emotional media content?

What is the effect of emotions on the processing of media messages?

How do audience members regulate emotions in media consumption setting and how do they cope with emotionally stressing content?

Are there inter-individual differences that predispose some recipients to react stronger to emotional media effects than others?

A particular focus is on the combination of both perspectives, e.g., when we investigate the impact of emotions on attitude formation in political campaigns. The persuasion and emotion perspective is applied in different research fields that we deal with:

Political Communication

Advertising Effects Research

Entertainment Research

Financial Communication

Online and Mobile Communication

Methods Research

Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe Methoden der DGPuK 2012

Herzlich willkommen zur Informationsseite der 14. Fachgruppentagung der FG Methoden der DGPuK in Zürich

Nachdem die Fachgruppe Methoden im Jahr 2000 in Loccum eine Bestandesaufnahme inhaltsnalytischer Methoden vorgenommen, und Wege zur Systematisierung und Standardisierung diskutiert hat, wird nun 12 Jahre danach in Zürich nach den Fortschritten dieser Methode gefragt. Die diesjährige Fachgruppentagung steht damit im Zeichen einer der zentralen Methoden der Kommunikationswissenschaft und möchte neue Entwicklungen, aktuelle Tendenzen und den Grad der Standardisierung der Inhaltsanalyse abbilden.

Die Tagung wird dabei als Themenschwerpunkte die Operationalisierung, Reliabilität, Validität, Standardisierung, sowie den Datenerhebungsprozess und die Herausforderungen durch neue Medien behandeln. In einem offenen Panel sind auch Eingaben zu anderen Methoden der Kommunikationswissenschaft erwünscht.

Genauere Informationen zu Inhalten und Formalia entnehmen Sie bitte dem Call for Papers.

Einsendeschluss für Einreichungen ist der 11.Juni 2012. Die Tagung findet vom 27.-29. September 2012 statt.

Das Programm wird veröffentlicht, wenn der Review Prozess abgeschlossen und die Reihenfolge der Vorträge festgelegt ist.

Per sofort ist die Anmeldung für die Tagung über folgendes Formular möglich.

ICA Papers accepted!

Our papers are accepted for the ICA 2012 in Phoenix! The following presentation are going to be held:

Hofer, M., & Wirth, W. (2012, May). It's Right to Be Sad: The Role of Meta-Appraisals in the Sad Film Paradoxon A Multiple Mediator Model. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Huesser, A., & Wirth, W. (2012, May). Information Processing of Mutual Fund Characteristics. Will Individual Investors Correct For Bias? Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Kühne, R., Schemer, C., & Matthes, J. (2012, May). Establishing Measurement Invariance in Communication Research: Pitfalls and Opportunities. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Kühne, R. (2012, May). Political News, Emotions, and Opinion Formation: Toward a Model of Emotional Framing Effects. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Ryffel, F., Wirth, W., von Pape, T. & Karnowski, V. (2012, May). More than one Session: The Development of Video Game Enjoyment in a Role Playing Game over Time. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Schemer, C. (2012, May). The Influence of the News Media on Stereotypic Attitudes toward Immigrants in a Political Campaign. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.
Sommer, K., Wirth, W., von Pape, T., Karnowski, V. (2012, May). Success in Online Searches - Differences between Selection and Finding Tasks. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), May 24-28 2012, Phoenix.

Working Group Beobachtung

The aim of the working group Beobachtung (observation) is the discussion and the establishment of standards of gathering, cleaning, and analysis of psychophysiological (skin conductance, heart rate, respiration, electroencephalograhy, and electromyography etc.) in communication science and media psychology. More concrete, the working group pursues the following goals:

1.) Exchange about the data
2.) Discuss the experience with different analysis software
3.) Standardizing the research process using psychophysiological data
4.) Present and discuss different statistical methods of data analysis (such as repeated measures ANOVA or multi-level modeling)
5.) Discussion of the indicator potential of the material
6.) Reporting: how to properly report such data (analysis)

Find the Wiki here

ICA Award!

Rinaldo Kühne, Matthias Hofer, Werner Wirth und Holger Schramm's Paper was among 4 papers which were judged by peer review to be the BEST OF INFO SYSTEMS

Kühne, R., Hofer, M., Wirth, W., Schramm, H. (2011, May) Structural Equation Modeling Spatial Presence: The Influence of Cognitive Processes and Traits on Spatial Presence. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association (ICA), 22.-36.05. 2011, Boston, USA.

Holger Schramm Professor for Mass Media- and Economic Communication in Würzburg

On October 1, 2010 Holger Schramm assumed a new position as a Professor for Mass Media- and Economic Communication at the Institute of Human-Computer-Media at the University of Würzburg. He was promoted to professor in the last semester with his research on parasocial and emotional media reception processes. For seven years, Holger Schramm had been working as a senior researcher in the research group "Media Psychology & Effects". During this period he was involved in the set-up of this research group. Additionally, he shaped the research and teaching to a considerable extent. His main research focus is on parasocial interaction, music and media, media sports, and emotional media reception processes.We warmly congratulate Holger Schramm on his professional success and we wish all the best for his future in Würzburg. For sure, we are looking forward to future co-operations with Holger.

Jörg Matthes Elected Head of Division

In September 2010, Jörg Matthes was elected head of Division "Empirical Methods" of the German Communication Association (DGPuK). With more than 180 members the division is on of the largest sections of the German Communication Association. Additionally, Christian Schemer was recently elected vice head of the Division "Empirical Methods" of the Swiss Communication Association (SGKM).Both scholars continue a successful tradition of our department. Former heads or vice heads were Werner Wirth ("Empirical Methods" division of the German Communication Association, 1999-2002; "Audience, Reception and Effects Research" division of the Swiss Communication Association, 2005-2007) and Holger Schramm ("Media Audiences and Effects" division of the German Communication Association, 2007-2010).