@article{ref1,
title="Self‐Reported News Attention Does Assess Differential Processing of Media Content: An Experiment on Risk Perceptions Utilizing a Random Sample of U.S. Local Crime and Accident News",
journal="Journal of communication",
year="2009",
author="Slater, Michael D. and Goodall, Catherine E. and Hayes, Andrew F.",
volume="59",
number="1",
pages="117-134",
abstract="Evidence for media effects in survey research often depends upon measures of self-reported attention to various types of media content, under the assumption that such attention measures gauge the extent of cognitive processing of content. However, effects associated with self-reports of attention might often be due to reverse causation (the attitude or knowledge tested as the outcome might in fact give rise to self-reports of greater attention) or third variable effects. To better assess whether self-reported attention to content actually measures differential processing of content, an experiment was conducted in the context of media influences on health and safety risk perceptions. A pool of 120 eligible news stories concerning violent crime, car crashes, and other unintentional injuries was randomly selected from a national random sample of such news coverage. These stories were manipulated to contain or not contain reference to alcohol as a contributing factor in the incident. Consistent with predictions and prior cross-sectional survey results, self-reports of attention and the exposure treatment interacted in estimating concern about alcohol-related risks, with the pattern of results suggesting that between-participant differences in self-reports of attention in fact reflected differences in processing of the message. Methodological advantages of using random samples of messages in experiments for inference are also discussed.<p />",
language="",
issn="0021-9916",
doi="10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.01407.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.01407.x"
}