Mass-Mediated Ambiguous Political Messages, Uncertainty Arousal, and Political Discussio

270 Pages·2010·1.78 MB·English

by  Larson Laptop

―What Was That Supposed To Mean?‖: Mass-Mediated Ambiguous Political Messages,
Uncertainty Arousal, and Political Discussion

Dissertation

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By
Kristen D. Landreville, M.A.
Graduate Program in Communication

The Ohio State University
2010

Dissertation Committee:
R. Lance Holbert, Advisor
William P. Eveland
Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick
Emily Moyer-Gusé
Copyright by
Kristen D. Landreville
2010
Abstract

Constructive interpersonal political discussion among citizens is traditionally
regarded as an indicator of a healthy democracy (e.g., Fishkin, 1991, 1995; Habermas,
1962/1989; Tarde, 1901/1989). At the same time, politics bears an inherent complexity,
ambiguity, and intricacy (Delli Carpini & Williams, 1996) that makes it a topic ripe for
uncertainty arousal. Considering that uncertainty arousal is more likely when situations
are ambiguous, complex, and unpredictable (Babrow, Hines, & Kasch, 2000; Babrow,
Kasch, & Ford, 1998), Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Berger, 1979; Berger & Bradac,
1982; Berger & Calabrese, 1975) is applied in this dissertation to study the crossroads of
interpersonal discussion and the consumption of a variety of mass-mediated messages
about politics. This dissertation will examine the processes by which political mass media
messages that vary in their level of ambiguity arouse receiver-based uncertainty and
influence subsequent interpersonal discussion. Four types of messages are investigated:
two types of satire (horatian and juvenalian) and two types of news (traditional news and
editorials). These four messages are differentiated by two dimensions of ambiguity—
ambiguity of message goals and ambiguity of message meaning. Satire and news are
argued to be different in ambiguity of message goals, whereas satire is high on goal
ambiguity (Bogel, 2001; Knight, 2004; Simpson, 2003) and news is low on this type of
ambiguity (McQuail, 1992). For ambiguity of message meaning, horatian satire and
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traditional news are argued to be high and juvenalian satire and editorials are argued to be
low. A computer-mediated discussion experiment was conducted to address 23
hypotheses that serve as the foundation for the dissertation. Results show that satirical
messages (high on ambiguity of message goals) generally incite more receiver-based
uncertainty and generate more uncertainty expressions during discussion.

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Dedication

For my parents, Paul and Dawn Landreville. Thank you for instilling in me the love and
power of learning.

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Acknowledgments

I could not ask for a better advisor than Lance Holbert. Lance‘s decision to take
an associate professor position at The Ohio State University during my second-year as a
PhD student was a blessing, no doubt. I went to Lance as a student who was not only
apprehensive about the demands of a rigorous graduate program, but who was also
apprehensive about becoming a first-time mother during the process. I needed guidance,
inspiration, and optimism to accomplish both feats. And Lance was always there as my
own personal cheerleader. Lance provided me with the confidence to pursue my research
interests. He has reminded me to embrace, rather than flee from, the challenges we are
given. Expectations of creativity are just as important as expectations of productivity.
Aside from professional advisement, a larger lesson that Lance has bestowed on me is the
encouragement to prioritize family and quality of life. I will never give up trying to strike
a balance among all the roles we have to play in life—researcher, teacher, parent, and
spouse. I can say now, as I complete my graduate program, I am content in all roles.
Last, it is truly amazing to witness and experience his unrelenting dedication to his
advisees and all students. I can only hope that my efforts to advise my future students
will be as successful as Lance‘s efforts.
Thank you to my dissertation committee members as well: William ―Chip‖
Eveland, Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, and Emily Moyer-Gusé. I am always excited to
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receive such thoughtful feedback and critique. I could not have assembled a better
committee. I also want to acknowledge my undergraduate research assistants, Jungmin
Hahm, Grant Holzen, and Erin Vandenberg. I could not have completed my dissertation
without their help. Additionally, the faculty and student members of The Ohio State
University‘s Communication, Opinion, and Political Studies (COPS) Group deserve
recognition. COPS has contributed to my development as a creative thinker, refined
presenter, and critical researcher in political communication.
I also wish to thank my former advisor, Lynda Kaid, of the University of Florida.
Lynda first introduced me to communication research as a freshman undergraduate
student at the University of Florida. She guided me through my undergraduate and
master‘s degree and made the research process truly enjoyable. I would not be earning a
doctorate in communication without her mentorship.
My family deserves so much more than an acknowledgement. My husband, Judd,
and two-year-old daughter, Claire, have been my saving grace throughout my graduate
program. Since high school, Judd has been my anchor. He knows just when to pull me
away from my work and just when to let me focus on my work. I admire his perfect
balance of idealism and realism, which serves us so well as a couple. From the
lighthearted laughs we share to the huge life trials we surmount, happiness in my life
requires having Judd as my partner. My inspiration in every way, I thank you, Judd.
Claire has given me many gifts since her birth, including relentless dedication,
patience, and motivation. In the midst of all the stress that graduate school entails, a
simple smile and request to ―sit down Mommy, come play‖ fills my soul with enormous
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joy, re-energizes my spirit, and catapults me back into reality. Unconditional love was a
difficult concept to fathom two years ago. Now I do not know how I would live without
it. All of these gifts from Claire have allowed me to thrive in graduate school, and I have
no doubt Claire will continue to bestow upon me countless other virtues that will guide
me through life.
Together, Judd and Claire remind me what the essence of life is. I see the world
with more clarity, love, and beauty because they are the gravity that keeps me grounded.
They have both sacrificed in order for me to achieve my personal career goals, and I
thank them for allowing me the freedom to pursue my academic dream. Every mountain
that we conquer together strengthens us, and I cherish how we persevere as a family. My
parents, in-laws, brother, sisters-in-law, nieces, and grandparents also help remind me
what is truly important in life. I pray that God continues to bless our family.

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Vita

June 2000 .......................................................Southeast High School
2004................................................................B.S. Journalism, University of Florida
2006................................................................M.A. Mass Communication, University of
Florida
2006 to present ..............................................Graduate Associate, School of
Communication, The Ohio State University

Publications

Holbert, R. L., LaMarre, H. L., & Landreville, K. D. (2009). Fanning the flames of a
partisan divide: Debate viewing, vote choice, and perceptions of vote count
accuracy. Communication Research, 36(2), 155-177.
Kaid, L. L., Postelnicu, M., Landreville, K. D., Williams, A. P., Hostrup, C., Urriste, S.,
Fernandes, J., Yun, H. J., & Bagley, D. (2005). Campaigning in the New Europe:
News Media Presentations of the 2004 European Union Parliamentary Elections.
In C. Holtz-Bacha (Ed.), Massenmedien im Europawahlkampf (The Mass Media
in the European Election Campaign).
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Kaid, L. L., Postelnicu, M., Landreville, K., Yun, H. J., & Hendren, A. G. (2007). The
effects of political advertising on young voters. American Behavioral Scientist,
50(9), 1137-1151.
LaMarre, H. L., & Landreville, K. D. (2009). When is fiction as good as fact? Comparing
the influence of documentary and historical reenactment films on engagement,
affect, issue interest, and learning. Mass Communication & Society, 12(4), 537-
555.
LaMarre, H. L., Landreville, K. D., & Beam, M. A. (2009). The irony of satire: Political
ideology and the motivation to see what you want to see in The Colbert Report.
The International Journal of Press/Politics, 14(2), 212-231.
Landreville, K. D. (2003). Newspaper coverage of the Florida 2002 gubernatorial
debates. University of Florida Journal of Undergraduate Research, 4(6).
Postelnicu, M., Martin, J. D., & Landreville, K. D. (2006). The role of campaign web
sites in promoting candidates and attracting campaign resources. In A. P.
Williams & J. C. Tedesco (Eds.), The internet election: Perspectives on the web
in campaign 2004 (pp. 99-110). Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc.
Trammell, K. D., Kaid, L. L., Williams, A. P., & Landreville, K. D. (2003). Under the
international spotlight: Marketing politics through debates. In J. Biberman & A.
Alkhaji (Eds.), Business Research Yearbook: Global Business Perspectives, Vol.
X. (pp. 902-906). International Academy of Business Disciplines and
McNaughton & Gunn: Saline, Michigan.
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