Aroused Argumentation: How the News Exacerbates Motivated Reasoning

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that citizens consume the news because it arouses them. However, to explain the motivated processing of news messages, research usually focuses on negative discrete emotions or the valence dimension of affect. This means that the role of arousal is largely overlooked. In this experiment, conducted in 2019 in Austria, I exposed 191 citizens to a televised news item about immigration—varying the level of threat, while taking physiological measures of negative valence and arousal, followed by self-reported indicators of motivated reasoning. The results indicate that combining the valence and arousal dimensions of affect is the preferred way to understand citizens' reactions to political news. While negative affect predicted motivated reasoning, these effects were much more pronounced for those who experienced high arousal at the same time. Not only does this illuminate some of the black box behind motivated reasoning, the consequences for journalism are profound: the way that journalists cover the news might unwittingly drive citizens apart.

Perspectives from Journalism Professionals on the Application and Benefits of Constructive Reporting for Addressing Misinformation

“…Additionally, misinformation increasingly consists of misuse of context, rather than explicitly false content (Wardle 2019). Pre-existing beliefs, and the valence of and arousal induced by media content, also influence belief in misinformation (Tappin and Pennycook 2020; Boyer 2021). Providing greater context around events and highlighting biased narratives in news media therefore may be promising strategies for addressing misperceptions resulting from news reporting.…”

“…immigrants as violent/criminal), particularly where misleading, can align with beliefs espoused in misinformation, increasing its fluency and thus acceptance and retention (Koch and Forgas 2012). High negative arousal produced by news content can also exacerbate motivated reasoning, contributing to polarization and belief in misinformation (Boyer 2021). Similarly, low traffic to ‘fake news’ websites compared to public awareness of false stories suggests news media, while intending to correct, inadvertently amplify and disseminate false stories; making understanding journalist's perceptions of their role in misinformation beneficial (Allen et al 2020; Tsfati et al 2020).…”

Emotions in misinformation studies: Distinguishing affective state from emotional response and misinformation recognition from acceptance

“…In the extended replication, we not only analyzed valence like Martel et al, but also arousal as a separate dimension of emotion (Russell, 1980) associated with misinformation processing (Boyer, 2021). High arousal emotions, both positive and negative, boost information sharing (Berger, 2011;Berger & Milkman, 2013).…”

“…Misinformation is said to maximally elicit emotion and trigger reactions such as commenting or sharing online. In particular high-arousal emotions, such as anxiety and anger, may hinder critical reflection and elicit rapid, intuitive thinking -leaving people vulnerable to misinformation (Berger & Milkman, 2013;Boyer, 2021;Weeks, 2015). As a consequence, people fall for inconsistencies or deliberate lies and share them with their peers.…”

Misperceptions about Immigration: Reviewing Their Nature, Motivations and Determinants

“…This view of immigrants as a threatening out-group has been linked to xenophobic prejudices and stereotypes (see, e.g., Esses et al 2005). It generates and nourishes a negative affective state that leads to motivated reasoning, inasmuch as people are guided by threat perception and in-group favouritism, rather than by the striving for factual correctness (see, for example, Boyer 2021; Erisen, Lodge and Taber 2014; Gadarian and Albertson 2014).…”