One of the key assumptions of many societies is that news programming creates a better-informed society. Partly as a result of this perspective, as well as the competition for ratings, news industries attempt to feed as much memorable information as possible to viewers in the quickest manner possible. One technique for incorporating additional information into a story is the added production element of soundbites, which are excerpts of longer pieces of outside media contained within media products. Often, sound bites take the form of interview excerpts, but may include other types of media excerpts (e.g., a clip from a television show).

If news consumers are expected to make informed opinions, later make decisions based on news stories that include sound bites, it becomes important to understand how the inclusion of sound bites in a media product affect information retention and processing. The current student will explore this phenomenon using the Limited Capacity Model for Motivated Media Message Processing (LC4MP). In this paper, we will present the results of a between-subjects experimental design in which the effects of retention were compared based on soundbite condition (i.e., no soundbites, moderate soundbites, high soundbites). Preliminary analysis of the data reveals a main effect for soundbite condition, such that those in the high soundbites condition featured higher levels of retention compared to those in the no soundbite condition. We will discuss these findings in light of their implications for LC4MP and the information-processing effects of soundbites in media content.

Authors:
Emily Dolan, Slippery Rock University, United States
Brittany Fleming, Slippery Rock University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Emily Dolan is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Slippery Rock University in United States

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