| In recent years, a number of researchers have focused their attention on the use of exemplars in news reporting. As argued by Zillmann, Gibson, Sundar & Perkins, Jr. (1996), journalists commonly use exemplifying information, or exemplars, based on "dramatic, entertaining, or sensational qualities rather than their accurate reflection of the topic of the news report" (p. 427). In published studies, findings have supported the position that this apparent use of atypical or non-representative exemplars in news reporting can affect peoples' perceptions on social issues. Thus far, however, research has primarily focused on establishing the existence of effects, and, therefore, has not yet explored in depth such questions as strength of effect over time or comparative effects of different media (i.e., the level and duration of effect of use of exemplars in text as compared to photographs or film).; The following study is intended as a replication and extension of the exemplification research of Zillmann et. al. (1996), utilizing the same general methodology, but replacing exemplars used in text with photographs and adding experimental sessions to further test the retention of information (strength of the effect) over time. The present investigation manipulated news magazine accounts of (a) the emergence of home invasion robberies, and (b) the potential risk to unborn children of physical deformities from the mother having a prenatal screening test called CVS (chorionic villus sampling). The study employed an experimental design with two conditions of visual exemplars and five conditions of time of assessment.; The study hypothesized that, given reports on social issues featuring both base-rate information and supportive/non-supportive photographic exemplars, test subjects' issue perceptions would be primarily influenced by the exemplars. In only one of the two experimental stories (the prenatal screening test), however, was this hypothesis supported. |
