Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Consumers' Correspondence Inference On Celebrity Endorsers: The Role Of Correspondence Bias And Suspicion, Taewoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The main purpose of this study is to find out whether celebrity endorsers’ behaviors, such as large endorsement contract and multiple product endorsement, will influence consumers’ correspondence inferences on those celebrities’ genuine attitudes towards the endorsed products in print advertisements and how such attributional inferences will differ according to the perceived level of product congruence with the endorser. For meaningful analysis and interpretation, the differential effects were examined in terms of correspondence bias and suspicion of ulterior motives. The bias refers to people’ attributional inference tendency to relying on other persons’ dispositions; whereas, the suspicion of ulterior motives accounts for …

Consider The Source: Receiver-Assigned Attributions Of Credibility To Influential Bloggers, Aaron Michael Sachs

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine credibility as it pertains to blogging. While studies have traditionally considered credibility in the context of the material being created, this study examines source credibility in the context of the personality creating the material. Therefore, this study functions primarily as an exploratory study and seeks to present an understanding of source credibility from the perspective of the individuals participating in blogging communities cultivated by influential bloggers. An interview questionnaire was specially developed for this study. Ten participants were selected for this study. Eight of them are females, two of the participants are …

The Effects Of Message Quantification: The Modearing Role Of Numeracy, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Although the numerical information effects has been reported in persuasive contexts, little research has investigated how numeric information in the drug efficacy appeals may affect consumers' evaluation of DTC advertising. Based on an experiment, the current study revealed that: (a) consumers reported more positive perceived message effectiveness of and attitude toward advertising toward numeric DTC advertising; (b) when consumers were lowly numerate, the persuasive effects of numeric information was stronger. When consumers were highly numerate, however, the persuasive effects of numeric information was significantly reduced; and (c) perceived message effectiveness was found to be a valid indicator of actual DTC …

Media And Gender: How Has The Story Of Chaz Bono Impacted Media’S Portrayal Of Transgender People?, Scott A. Eldredge, Iveta Imre

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The coverage of transgender issues in serious media is relatively new and has been on the rise. In fact, the amount of stories covering this issue on the major networks and cable news programs in the United States nearly doubled in 2007 compared to 2006 (Hollar, 2007). Despite the fact that this topic is becoming less taboo, and is more frequently treated as socially and politically important, the coverage has still been predominately sensationalistic. For example, the controversy surrounding the pregnancy of a transgender male, Thomas Beatie, in 2008 was headline news for months, while the first-ever congressional hearing on …

Hate Speech Versus Free Speech On College Campuses: Exploring The Viability Of A Constitutional And Sustainable Campus Speech Code, Michelle Epstein Garland

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This article explored the viability of a Constitutional and sustainable campus speech code. Specifically, this article used the website and rating system of the organization Freedom for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) as the source for the pilot analysis. Southeastern Conference and Pacific 10 Conference universities were chosen as the sample, and both the overall university and individual codes were examined for violations of free speech. For the purpose of this article, codes that were found to have no violations were presented. This article found that based on the chosen sample, no Constitutional and sustainable campus speech code is currently …

Relationship Between Usage And Age: How Lgbt Individuals Use Online Social Networking Applications For Personal Relationships, Rick Curry

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

A pilot study titled "Relationship Between Usage and Age: How LGBT Individuals Use Online Social Networking Applications For Personal Relationships" that looks at the impact of online social networking applications and how they are changing the way LGBT seek and develop personal relationships.

Stages Of The Diabetes 'Roller Coaster': A Textual Analysis Of Tudiabetes.Org (R), Jodi Lynn Rightler-Mcdaniels, Lisa Metzer

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Online virtual health communities have recently emerged to engage people with common medical conditions and experiences. Tudiabetes.org® is an example of a peer-to-peer virtual health community that provides an online social platform to exchange ideas, fears, knowledge, and support about the diabetes experience. This study explored the communication of parents within this non-moderated virtual health community surrounding the diagnosis of a child with type 1 diabetes by analyzing the dialogue of a particular tudiabetes.orgâ discussion thread. Textual analysis revealed four emerging stages of the narrative, which structurally resembled a “roller coaster” ride: catastrophic, social support, cathartic release, and “new normal.” …

Horatio Alger Is Dying: Has U. S. Tv News Noticed?, Mark D Harmon

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Terms such as “rags to riches,” “Horatio Alger,“ and pulling one’s self up by one’s “own bootstraps” are important to American self-identity. Several analyses, however, show social and economic mobility in the United States is in trouble. It is less frequent than in past generations, the U. S. now trails many nations in measures of movement, and one mechanism of mobility, education, is losing its effectiveness in that regard.

The researcher conducted a content analysis regarding social mobility terms in transcripts from NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News, MSNBC and Fox News. By various measures U. S. …

Propinquity And News Coverage: The U.S. As Seen In Latin America, Charles Primm

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Propinquity theory is used to frame a pilot study examining the tone and frequency of U.S. coverage in Latin American newspaper websites. Results of a survey of U.S. news stories appearing in Latin American newspaper websites (n=211) did not find significant correlation between the tone of coverage of the U.S. and the frequency of that coverage. Results suggest, however, that repeating the survey with a larger sample might produce significant findings.

Developing A Definition Of Nonverbal Slang, Timothy E. Martin Jr.

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This abstract explains an attempt to produce a definition of “nonverbal slang” that can be applied as a lens through which to view nonverbal behavior and determine what displays might fit this definition. Establishing a definition can provide additional understanding into the degree to which nonverbal behavior might impact interpersonal interactions both positively and negatively. This paper develops the concept of “nonverbal slang” to assist in filling the current literature gap concerning specific nonverbal display’s influence within human communication and seeks to provide terminology by developing a definition that will promote further research in this area.

Keywords: communication, slang, nonverbal

Verbal Judo Training Module For Law Enforcement: An Ethnographic Perspective, Lorna F. Keathley, Virginia Kupritz, John Haas

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This study examined Verbal Judo non-verbal and verbal communication tactics in a compliance-gaining context between a police officer and an individual who had been stopped by the officer. Verbal Judo emphasizes the use of both verbal and non-verbal communication by the officer with specific discourse structures aimed at the individual to obtain goals in compliance-gaining contexts. Verbal Judo incorporates the principle of nonresistance deflecting the other’s energies to obtain goals within a context. This study determined that Verbal Judo compliance-gaining procedures used in training videos should be tailored by law enforcement to the specific context and type of person ( …

Motherhood As Salvation: The Experience Of Young Appalachian Mothers, Betsy D. Dalton

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This study explored the meaning of teenage motherhood to young Appalachian mothers using a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews with 14 mothers between the ages of 18-22 from the southern central Appalachian region were conducted. Findings indicate that the experience of teenage motherhood can be described in terms of filling a void and the pervasive drug culture. Analysis of these findings indicates that the experience of motherhood is characterized by salvation. The salvation of motherhood is shaped by the emotional chasm it fills, as well as the protective barrier it provides between the mother and the drug culture surrounding her. Implications …

Dtc Advertising And Perceived Importance Of Illness: Two-Sided Message And The Moderating Role Of Dtca Skepticism, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

To better understand consumers' coping mechanisms of DTC advertising and to address socially important health issues, the current study examined whether perceived importance of sleep disorders is influenced by DTC advertising. Two-sided message order and DTCA skepticism were hypothesized as predictors of the perceived importance. The results showed that there is interaction between order effects and DTCA skepticism. Theoretical, practical, and regulatory implications are discussed.

The Effects Of Statistical Information In Pharmaceutical Product Advertising, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

In the contexts of prescription drug (DTC) advertising, statistical information has been frequently used. However, little is known about how the statistical information affects consumer attitude toward the advertisement and perceived importance of an advertised illness. Based on an experiment, the present study explored the mechanism of consumers' DTC advertising information processing using structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The findings revealed that: (a) the use of statistical information in DTC advertising positively related to perceived message effectiveness; (b) perceived message effectiveness positively related to attitude toward the advertisement and perceived importance of an advertised illness; and (c) message framing (gain …

An Examination Of The European Advertising Standards Alliance: The Relationship Between Uncertainty Avoidance And Children's Online Advertising Regulation Code., Nathan Evans

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

No abstract provided.

Innovative Event Management: Is Your Organization Thriving Or Just Surviving?, Chivonne Marie Hyppolite, Brandon Lamont Jones

Black Issues Conference

"Innovative Event Management: Is Your Organization Thriving or Just Surviving?"- All programming is not effective programming! This presentation will allow participants to critically analyze the structure and effectiveness of their organization. This presentation will address three pertinent domains of student organization function: Leadership, Event Management Strategies and Organizational Branding and offer participant’s innovative ideas to catapult their organization to the next level. The learning outcomes of this presentation will prepare the participant to utilize collaborative relationships to construct a holistic brand, develop innovative leadership strategies and effectively execute events.

The success of your organization stems from your university and community …

Circle Park News November 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

Scoop Magazine Fall 2012, College Of Communication And Information

SCOOP

No abstract provided.

Interface, Fall 2012, School Of Information Sciences

Interface Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Circle Park News October 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

Circle Park News September 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

Examining The Role Of Perceived Immediacy As A Mediator: Revisiting The Relationships Among Immediate Behaviors, Liking, And Disclosure, Stephanie Erin Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation purports to clarify the role of perceived immediacy in interpersonal communication. Immediate behaviors were first identified as behaviors associated with increases in receiver liking and self-disclosure. As such, the first study is a meta-analysis of immediate behaviors and self-disclosure and the second study meta-analyzes immediate behaviors and liking. The magnitudes of the effects yielded from both studies are consisted with indirect relationships. The third study is an experiment which uses a range of previously identified immediate behaviors from the literature as an induction and measures perceived immediacy, liking, and self-disclosure to test perceived immediacy as a mediating variable …

Consumers’ Optimistic Bias And Responses To Risk Disclosures In Direct-To-Consumer (Dtc) Prescription Drug Advertising: The Moderating Role Of Subjective Health Literacy, Hoyoung Ahn

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite a substantial body of research in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs, what is missing from much of the existing discussion on DTCA disclosure is a focus on the roles of consumers’ individual motivation and ability factors in processing risk disclosures. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Motivation-Ability- Opportunity (MAO) framework, this research focuses on the roles played by individuals’ optimistic bias as motivation and ones’ subjective health literacy as ability to process and evaluate risk disclosures in DTCA. Specifically, this study examined whether the degree of optimistic bias affected consumers’ risk disclosure processing in terms …

Understanding The Dimensions Of Trust In Public Relations And Their Measurements, Joosuk Park

Doctoral Dissertations

Trust judgment of an organization’s publics validates the existence of an organization as well as being one of the most powerful moderators of public relations effectiveness. The ideas of trust as one of the key dimensions to explain relational status between an organization and its key publics has been around more than a decade. Over the last two decades, the idea of trust in fact has been showing rising prominence across many diversified studies of relationship and relationship management. In relationship management, one of the important goals of public relations is to build mutually beneficial relationships among organizations and their …

Circle Park News August 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

The Mother-Infant Dyad Study: A Grounded Theory Inquiry Into The Day-To-Day Experiences, Between First-Time Mothers And Their Infants, That Influence Feeding Practices, Jennifer Jean Helvey

Masters Theses

Background: Inappropriate infant-feeding practices linked to excessive, rapid, early weight gain, are potentially powerful intervention points for reducing risk of later obesity. Understanding how and why these behaviors begin is currently the topic of much research. Because breastfeeding has been found to be somewhat protective against early rapid gain, and because low-income, Southeastern U.S. populations are significantly less likely to initiate and maintain breastfeeding, it is critical to focus efforts in these populations. Grounded theory methodology provides the optimal theoretical underpinnings for exploring development of these practices.

Research Objective: The objective was to explore, using grounded theory methodology, the set …

Effectiveness Of Antismoking Campaign Strategies On Smoking Cessation Of Chinese Smokers: An Application Of Taylor’S Six-Segment Message Strategy Wheel, Xizi Cai

Masters Theses

China has the largest smoker population in the world. Since 2006, with China as a member country of WHO FCTC (World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control), the country has seen more and more antismoking campaigns on various kinds of media both national and local. However, the effectiveness of these antismoking campaigns is still not clear, especially within Chinese traditional smoking culture background.

Adopting an in-depth interview approach, this study explores how different antismoking campaign strategies in terms of Taylor’s Six-segment Massage Strategy Wheel could influence smoking cessation of Chinese adult smokers who have quitting experience. Research questions focus …

Circle Park News July 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

Circle Park News May/June 2012, College Of Communication And Information

Circle Park News

No abstract provided.

Prepared For Natural Disaster? How Children And Families Understand And Make Sense Of Natural Disaster Preparedness, Tatjana Magdalena Hocke

Doctoral Dissertations

Natural disaster risks have increased in the last decades with hurricanes causing billions of dollars in material damages and untold human suffering and death. To reduce natural disaster impact, public relations scholars and practitioners have called for increased pre-crisis preparation. Families with children are one group severely impacted by natural disaster crisis. With only approximately one-third of families in the United States having taken disaster preparedness steps, practitioners and researchers seek new understanding and approaches to increasing family disaster preparedness. However, the research on organizational and societal preparedness remains scarce. Furthermore, public relations scholarship has neglected to target families with …