Page 50 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

2. EXEMPLIFICATION THEORY OF MEDIA INFLUENCE 39

have not yet been adequately examined, and the merits of others have
been determined in part only. Moreover, some of the evidence is specific
to particular domains of media influence, and demonstrations bridging
gaps and spanning various facets of influence are yet to emanate.
Closer examination of the projected longitudinal influence of specific
exemplification formats seems especially important. At present, demon-
strations of over-time consequences are limited to periods of one to two
weeks. Many effects, particularly those concerning the competition
between image- versus text-conveyed information, might not materialize
in such comparatively short periods of time. Months and perhaps years
might be more appropriate units of time for compelling images to over-
whelm textual specifics and to impose, if not dictate, the perception of
issues. Examination of these possibilities would seem to be imperative at
a time when the digital revolution of information transmission has laid
the grounds for an increasingly analogue, iconic representation of all phe-
nomena of personal consequence and civic relevance.

REFERENCES

Aust, C. F., & Zillmann, D. (1996). Effects of victim exemplification in television news on
viewer perception of social issues. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 73(4),
787–803.
Bargh, J. A. (1984). Automatic and conscious processing of social information. In R. S.
Wyer & T. K. Srull (Eds.), Handbook of social cognition (Vol. 3, pp. 1–43). Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bargh, J. A. (1996). Automaticity in social psychology. In E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglan-
ski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (pp. 169–183). New York: Guil-
ford.
Bargh, J. A., Lombardi, W. J., & Higgins, E. T. (1988). Automaticity of chronically accessi-
ble constructs in person X situation effects on person perception: It’s just a matter of
time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 599–605.
Bar-Hillel, M. (1980). The base-rate fallacy in probability judgements. Acta Psychologica,
44, 211–233.
Berelson, B., & Salter, P. (1946). Majority and minority Americans: An analysis of maga-
zine fiction. Public Opinion Quarterly, 10, 168–190.
Bower, G. H. (1992). How might emotions affect learning? In S.-Å. Christianson (Ed.), The
handbook of emotion and memory: Research and theory (pp. 3–31). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Brosius, H.-B. (1995). Alltagsrationalität in der Nachrichtenrezeption: Ein Modell der
Wahrnehmung und Verarbeitung von Nachrichteninhalten [Everyday rationality in news
reception: A model for the perception and the processing of news content]. Opladen:
Westdeutscher Verlag.
Brosius, H.-B., & Bathelt, A. (1994). The utility of exemplars in persuasive communica-
tions. Communication Research, 21(1), 48–78.
Brosius, H.-B., Weaver, J. B., & Staab, J. F. (1993). Exploring the social and sexual “reality”
of contemporary pornography. Journal of Sex Research, 30(2), 161–170.