Specific Situations or Specific People? How Do Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors Interact in Cultivation Research?

Authors

  • Christine E. Meltzer Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
  • Anna Schnauber Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Keywords:

cultivation, heuristic processing, information processing, media bias perceptions, media effects

Abstract

 Based on the rationale of dual process models, processing strategies influence the cultivation of first-order beliefs. Dual process models predict two key prerequisites for processing systematically: motivation and ability, which in turn can be influenced by intrinsic as well as extrinsic factors. Yet most research has concentrated on extrinsic factors by varying characteristics of the situation. The interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics, however, has not been researched to date. We present a field study testing for this kind of interaction. Results of a general population study indicate that intrinsic (education) as well as extrinsic (survey mode) factors moderate cultivation. Additionally, we found a person-situation interaction, indicating that cultivation is influenced by extrinsic factors in different ways, depending on an individual’s intrinsic characteristics.

Author Biographies

Christine E. Meltzer, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Research AssociateDepartment of CommunicationUniversity of Mainz phone: 0049 6131 39 25762 

Anna Schnauber, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Research AssociateDepartment of CommunicationJohannes Gutenberg University Mainz

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Published

2015-08-31

Issue

Section

Articles