Page 83 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

72 SHRUM

Principle 2 (Accessibility Principle) concerns the role of the accessibility
of information in the construction of judgments. In its simplest form, the
principle states that the information that comes most readily to mind will
be the information that comprises the “small subset”of available informa-
tion that is retrieved and, in turn, is the information that is most likely to
be used in constructing a judgment (Carlston & Smith, 1996; Higgins,
1996; Wyer, 1980).
Taken together, these two principles have important implications for
explaining media effects. These implications revolve around the determi-
nants and consequences of accessibility.

Determinants of Accessibility

There are a number of factors that may influence the ease with which
something is recalled. Although a detailed discussion of these factors is
beyond the scope of this chapter (for more extensive reviews, see Higgins,
1996; Higgins & King, 1981), certain ones have implications for media
effects (Shrum, 1995). These factors are the frequency of construct activa-
tion, recency of construct activation, vividness of a construct, and rela-
tions with accessible constructs.

Frequency and Recency of Activation. Constructs that are frequently
activated tend to be easily recalled (Higgins & King, 1981). This general
finding has been shown both in studies of word recall and recognition
(Paivio, 1971) as well as of trait concepts (Wyer & Srull, 1980). Moreover, if
activated frequently enough, particular constructs may become “chroni-
cally accessible” (for a review, see Higgins, 1996) such that they are spon-
taneously activated under many different situations. The same general
relation holds for recency of activation: The more recently a construct has
been activated, the easier it is to recall (Higgins, Rholes, & Jones, 1977;
Wyer & Srull, 1980). However, research suggests that the effect of recency
of activation on accessibility is relatively transitory, with frequency effects
tending to dominate after a short period of time (Higgins, Bargh, & Lom-
bardi, 1985; Wyer & Radvansky, 1999).
This general relation of frequency and recency with accessibility has
implications for potential media effects. For example, cultivation theory
(see chapter 3) rests on the premise that the frequency of television view-
ing has effects on the beliefs of viewers. In terms of frequency of activa-
tion, heavier viewers should more frequently activate constructs por-
trayed on television than light viewers, particularly if those constructs
tend to be portrayed more heavily on television than in real-world situa-
tions. Moreover, given that heavy viewers have a higher probability of