%0 Journal Article
%T Effects of Worldview and Mortality Salience in Persuasion Processes
%J Media psychology
%D 2009
%A Magee, Robert G.
%A Kalyanaraman, Sriram
%V 12
%N 2
%P 171-194
%X Individual differences in media effects research have yielded a trove of insights into how media content can have varying effects. One such variable is worldview?a philosophy of life that enables a person to make sense of one's experience?but the notion has largely been unexamined in media effects research. A person's worldview can moderate the way a persuasive message is processed?sometimes in the opposite direction of that intended by communicators. Building on the construct of worldview and terror management theory, two experiments (N = 149 and N = 151) examined the question with worldview as a measured variable and mortality salience as a two-level factor. Worldview had a main effect on global evaluations of ads, as participants who tended toward a relativist worldview had lower evaluations of the ads and lower behavioral intentions, while participants who tended toward a positivist worldview had higher evaluations of the ads and higher behavioral intentions. Also, mortality salience was found to moderate participants' worldview, presumably making their worldview more accessible to exert a greater influence. The importance of worldview as a construct in media effects research, as well as theoretical implications for persuasion and terror management theory, are discussed.Individual differences in media effects research have yielded a trove of insights into how media content can have varying effects. One such variable is worldview?a philosophy of life that enables a person to make sense of one's experience?but the notion has largely been unexamined in media effects research. A person's worldview can moderate the way a persuasive message is processed?sometimes in the opposite direction of that intended by communicators. Building on the construct of worldview and terror management theory, two experiments (N = 149 and N = 151) examined the question with worldview as a measured variable and mortality salience as a two-level factor. Worldview had a main effect on global evaluations of ads, as participants who tended toward a relativist worldview had lower evaluations of the ads and lower behavioral intentions, while participants who tended toward a positivist worldview had higher evaluations of the ads and higher behavioral intentions. Also, mortality salience was found to moderate participants' worldview, presumably making their worldview more accessible to exert a greater influence. The importance of worldview as a construct in media effects research, as well as theoretical implications for persuasion and terror management theory, are discussed.<p />
%G 
%I Informa - Taylor and Francis Group
%@ 1521-3269
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15213260902849919