| The current study attempts to explore what Americans think and know about the world---and, importantly, how they come to hold such knowledge and attitudes. The findings result primarily from a national telephone survey and secondarily from a series of in-depth interviews. In the current study, seven unique approaches were employed: (1) using international news use as a predictor of international knowledge and attitudes; (2) employing patriotism and international experience as antecedents in a mass communication model; (3) examining both international knowledge and international attitudes; (4) measuring international knowledge and attitudes with open- and close-ended measures; (5) conceptualizing knowledge via an episodic vs. general dichotomy; (6) using structural equation modeling to examine the development of international knowledge and attitudes in a process-oriented manner; and (7) using two research methods to explore this development. With six well-fitting structural equation models, the current study examines the developmental processes of knowledge and attitudes related to China and Great Britain. Various components in these models have direct and indirect effects on international knowledge and attitudes, including international news use, international interest, international experience, attitudes toward new immigrants, patriotism, and education. |
