Showing papers by "Rinaldo Kühne published in 2015"

The Emotional Effects of News Frames on Information Processing and Opinion Formation

Abstract: Current approaches explain the effects of news frames on judgments in terms of cognitive mechanisms, such as accessibility and applicability effects. We investigated the emotional effects of two news frames—an “anger” frame and a “sadness” frame—on information processing and opinion formation. We found that the two frames produced different levels of anger and sadness. Furthermore, the anger frame increased the accessibility of information about punishment and the preference for punitive measures in comparison with the sadness frame and the control group. In contrast, the sadness frame increased the accessibility of information about help for victims and the preference for remedial measures. More importantly, these effects were mediated by the anger and sadness that were elicited by the news frames.

Beyond Cognitive Framing Processes: Anger Mediates the Effects of Responsibility Framing on the Preference for Punitive Measures

Abstract: A new stream of research indicates that framing effects are based on emotional as well as cognitive processes. However, it is not entirely clear whether emotions mediate framing effects and what the moderators of emotional mediation processes are. To address these questions, we conducted an experiment in which the framing of responsibility for a social problem was manipulated (ambivalent vs. high-responsibility frame). We find that the high-responsibility frame increased the preference for punitive measures by increasing responsibility beliefs and eliciting anger. Furthermore, we find that trait anger moderates the framing effect on anger and that responsibility beliefs are positively associated with anger intensity. The significance of these findings for framing research and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Emotionale Framing-Effekte auf Einstellungen: eine theoretische Modellierung und empirische Überprüfung der Wirkungsmechanismen [Emotional framing effects on attitudes: a theoretical model and empirical investigation of the underlying mechanisms]

Abstract: Der wirkungsorientierte Framing-Ansatz fokussierte traditionell kognitive Effekte der Medienberichterstattung auf die Einstellungen von Rezipientinnen und Rezipienten. Aktuelle Befunde zeigen allerdings, dass in Rezeptions- und Meinungsbildungsprozessen auch Emotionen eine bedeutende Rolle spielen. Der vorliegende Beitrag erweitert den klassischen Framing-Ansatz um emotionstheoretische Uberlegungen und entwickelt ein integratives Modell kognitiver und emotionaler Framing-Effekte. Dieses postuliert, dass mediale Darstellungen gesellschaftlicher Themen sowohl kognitive als auch emotionale Reaktionen auslosen konnen, die ihrerseits die Einstellungen der Rezipientinnen und Rezipienten beeinflussen. Die theoretischen Annahmen werden in drei Experimenten sowie einer Inhaltsanalyse und Befragung getestet.