The primes of our times?

Abstract

A B S T R A C TClaims by political and news elites about the influence of visual images are far more common than actual evidence of such effects. This research attempts to gain insight into the 'power' of visual images, specifically those that accompany lexical-verbal messages in the press. We argue that the widely held notion that vivid images often drive public opinion is overly simplistic; in contrast, we posit that images most often interact with individuals' existing understandings of the world to shape information processing and judgments. With this in mind, we conducted an experiment in which news coverage was systematically altered -as including a famous photograph widely attributed great influence, or not -within otherwise constant information environments. Findings suggest that visual news images (a) influence people's information processing in ways that can be understood only by taking into account individuals' predispositions and values, and (b) at the same time appear to have a particular ability to 'trigger' considerations that spread through one's mental framework to other evaluations. K E Y W O R D S icons information processing news media photojournalism priming visual imagesLong before the development of mass communication, students of politics were concerned with the influence of both words and visual images on people's feelings and opinions toward important issues of the day. Plato's Republic (1987, trans. Lee) advocated the banning of both poets and painters from the ideal state because of their perceived impact on people's moods and attitudes, as well as their ability to create false versions of reality. Similarsounding concerns about what we might call visual determinism have never really gone away, and today are echoed by a host of political powerholders and Journalism

A scoping review into the impact of animal imagery on pro-environmental outcomes

“…Images that are emotive and vivid have a powerful role to play in shaping persuasive messages (Joffe 2008). They can draw viewers in and aid in recall of important messages (Graber 1990), interacting with prior values and attitudes to shape affective and cognitive reactions (Domke et al 2002). We respond to imagery directly, experiencing it in terms of emotions, mood, and intuitions (Branthwaite 2002).…”

“…However, research from health communication shows that culture can affect the efficacy of a given intervention strategy and has an important role to play in audience segmentation, suggesting an urgent need for more investigation in this area (Kreuter and McClure 2004). Prior attitudes and values of the audience may also influence their receptivity to different messages (Domke et al 2002). Emotive images of animals have the greatest effect on the most involved environmental supporters, and watching a nature documentary may only increase pro-environmental donation behaviour for viewers who already have a strong sense of connectedness (Huddy and Gunnthorsdottir 2000;Arendt and Matthes 2016).…”

Investigating the Psychological Effects of News Imagery: A Case for Evidence-based Decision Making and Practices

“…Not every possible question or scenario in visual communication is addressed by current empirical researchin fact, far from it. Scholars have expressed surprise that empirical research on the persuasive effects of news imagery has not matched popular assumptions of its influence (Domke et al, 2002). We hope more researchers might be inspired to investigate visual communications issues using empirical methods and convince more practitioners to seek out empirical evidence to motivate their practices and decision criteria.…”

Picturing the Jos Crisis Online in Three Leading Newspapers in Nigeria: A Visual Framing Perspective

“…Although a relatively new area of research, visual framing should not be underestimated as it enjoys unparalleled advantages in influencing public perception and opinion. Visual images can help the public when evaluating social and political environments (Domke, Perlmutter, & Spratt, 2002). Pfau and colleagues (2008) noted that visual framing not only captures more attention than text content and is remembered more easily but also is considered more credible.…”