How agenda setting works: A dual path model and motivated reasoning

Abstract

This study examines whether agenda-setting effects occur along dual paths and what role motivated goals play in that process. Based on an experimental design that employed a specially constructed news website, this study examined whether dual paths of agenda setting – a casual path and deliberative path – depend on types of motivated goals, that is, whether individuals have motivations to look for accurate news or like-minded news. The role that motivated goals play in the agenda-setting process is important, especially in the new media environment, because audiences’ news consumption has become politically polarized and aligned with their prior beliefs, which may lead them to have perceptions that are contradictory to those of the media about what issues are important and how to think about those issues. Findings of this study showed that a deliberative path – that is, reading more articles – was likely to result in higher agenda-setting effects. A deliberative path also led to even greater agenda-setting effects for individuals with accuracy goals compared to individuals with directional goals. A casual path led to greater agenda-setting effects for individuals with directional goals than for those with accuracy goals.

The Agenda-Setting-Effects of News Factor Exposure: A Field Study Comparing the Transmission Paths and Impact of Issue Exposure and News Factor Exposure

“…The latter validation hypothesis links interest and importance to opinion formation efforts, which are often conceptualized as correlates or even as indicators of issue salience (Lee, 2019; Scharkow & Vogelgesang, 2011).…”

“…It may also exert strong motivation, but it is foremost extrinsic (outcome-focused): one should do something to achieve some important goal (e.g., whether a pension cut gets implemented; Touré-Tillery & Fishbach, 2014). This leads up to three construct validation assumptions to be tested: The latter validation hypothesis links interest and importance to opinion formation efforts, which are often conceptualized as correlates or even as indicators of issue salience (Lee, 2019;Scharkow & Vogelgesang, 2011).…”

“…(2) New mediators transmitting effects on issue salience : Studies have theorized or tested which cognitions are associated with changes in issue salience and that react to news cues (Huck et al, 2009; Miller, 2007). Associated theoretical models specify which cognitive heuristics and psychological mechanisms news consumers use to infer issue salience from news cues (Huck et al, 2009; Lee, 2019; Pingree & Stoycheff, 2013). The main mediators emerging from these studies are, though with varying labels, media salience perceptions (MSP) and news factor perceptions (NFP) relating to the issue.…”

“…This study seeks to improve our understanding of these types of exposures and transmission mechanisms. The evidence on cognitive processes mediating agenda-setting effects of news factor exposure (and also: issue exposure) is scattered and was primarily collected in laboratory experiments (Bulkow et al, 2013; Lee, 2019; Miller, 2007; Pingree & Stoycheff, 2013). The current study bundles emerging lines of research into a mediation model.…”

Journalism and reportage of insecurity: Newspaper and television coverage of banditry activities in Northern Nigeria

“…A deliberative path entails that the impact of agendasetting is due to effective media use, like heavy reading. Lee (2019) conducted a study wherein he examined whether and when a dual-path agenda-setting model occurs by introducing motivated goals that guide individuals to attend to particular types of news. The researchers made use of experimental design to achieve the study goal.…”