Using Cognitive Mapping to Study the Relationship between News Exposure and Cognitive Complexity

Abstract

Cognitive complexity is a concept that allows scholars to distinguish unidimensional thinking from multidimensional thinking, which allows citizens to identify and integrate various perspectives of a topic. Especially in times of fake news, fact-free politics, and affective polarization, the news media would ideally foster such complex political understanding. The current paper introduces the method of cognitive mapping to measure cognitive complexity regarding citizens’ understanding of the financial crisis, one of the most pressing political issues of the past decades. Linking content-analytic data to panel-survey data, we examine how exposure to news about the crisis relates to cognitive complexity. A wide variety of news sources (print, television, and online) were analyzed to take the high-choice media environment into account. Results show that news consumption generally is related to a less cognitively complex understanding of the financial crisis. However, actual exposure to news about the crisis (combined measurement of content analysis and survey data) is positively related to cognitive complexity, particularly among less-educated citizens. In addition, the most prominent topics in news coverage were more frequently associated with the financial crisis, as reflected in the cognitive maps of less-educated citizens exposed to more crisis news. These findings demonstrate the potential of news media to increase citizens’ complexity of understanding, especially among the less educated.

Does it pay to think about the future? Future orientation, ideology, age and vote earning among political candidates

“…The future is uncertain and grasping it requires cognitive complexity – that is, the ability to consider the many different sides of a matter and to create linkages between different things (e.g. Boukes et al, 2021; Van Hiel and Mervielde, 2003). Education is positively associated with cognitively complex thinking (Milburn and McGrail, 1992), suggesting that it could also predict future-oriented thinking.…”

The Role of Reading Economic News in Germany and the UK

“…Based on findings of political news and its influence on political knowledge (e.g., [45][46][47][48][49]), scholars agree that the news media (e.g., television, newspaper, radio, the Internet) play a crucial role in mediating financial information to the public (e.g., [21,50]). Interestingly, the argument that individuals might use the news media to get an idea of the current economic situation or economic forecasts was put forward already, around thirty years ago [51].…”

“…However, the picture is varied and can depend on external events and the national context. A recent study using cognitive mapping has shown that while general news consumption is connected to a lower complex understanding of the Global Financial Crisis 2007-2009 (GFC) among Dutch citizens, news uses specifically dealing with the GFC are related to higher cognitive complexity when making sense about the GFC but only among the less-educated citizens [46]. Conversely, another study conducted in the Netherlands implies that more news consumption is not necessarily correlated with a better understanding of economic indicators, such as inflation [56].…”

Direct assessment of individual connotation and experience

“…The method was developed and introduced by the philosopher Paul Thagard (2010) and used primarily in conflict research as a tool to depict and communicate divergent perspectives. In this regard, CAMs might be considered an extension of cognitive maps (e.g., Boukes et al, 2020) that allow the integration as well as the differentiation of cognitive concepts (Conway et al, 2014; Neumann, 1981; Suedfeld, 2010; Tetlock, 1983). While these cognitive maps are able to depict the “cognitive complexity” of a given topic, CAMs additionally allow one to depict the affective valences—that is, whether a concept is considered as positive, negative, neutral, or ambivalent.…”