Student Researchers: Jan Albert & Chad Mahood (MA Students); Amy Fast (PhD Student)
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Shyam Sundar Sethuraman
Introduction
Studies have shown that both local and national news focus more on negative news images than positive news images. Furthermore, negative news is seen as having a significant influence on viewers and has been attributed with the ability to create a "gloomy outlook" for people. However, it is unclear whether this is because negatively valenced news (compared to positively valenced news) is more arousing or more memorable. Given the distinct negative nature of television news, an important question to ask is, whether the correlation between arousal and memory is different for negative news images compared to positive news images?
Hypotheses
Based on the theory that negative messages have a short cut to cognitive processes for survival purposes and that they prepare the viewer for action, it was expected that negative news segments would cause more arousal in viewers than the positive news segments.
H1: Viewing negative news segments will create more physiological arousal than viewing positive news segments.
Previous research has shown that emotional arousal increases comprehension. This leads to the prediction that news stories that are arousing will be memorable.
H2: Increased arousal will lead to more memory of content.
In anticipation of valence affecting arousal and arousal affecting memory, it is expected that valence will have a significant effect on memory.
H3: Valence will play a role in the relationship between arousal and memory.
Method
Twenty-five participants took part in a between-participants experimental design. Twelve participants viewed 4 negative news segments,
and the remaining thirteen participants viewed
4 positive news segments. 
Arousal was measured via skin conductance response. This skin conductance measure captured ongoing physiological responses while news segments were being viewed. Memory was measured by responses to a questionnaire, after participants had finished viewing all four news segments.
Results
H1: Supported. Negative news segments did cause more physiological arousal than positive news segments.
H2: Not Supported. A positive relationship was not established between arousal and memory.
H3: Supported. A significant interaction was found between valence and memory upon arousal . This interaction showed that arousal and memory appear to have opposite relationships depending upon the valence of the condition. For negative news, memory tended to increase as arousal increased. However, for positive news, memory decreased as arousal increased. The figure below demonstrates this interaction.
Conclusion
The unexpected finding that increased arousal will
not necessarily lead to more memory of content suggests that the relationship
between arousal and memory is complex, one that cannot be accounted for
by a positive correlation across valence conditions. For negative news segments,
as physiological arousal increases, memory tends to increase. But for positive
news segments, as physiological arousal increases, memory decreases.
A probable explanation for this finding is the theory of hedonic asymmetry,
which accounts for the lasting nature of negative emotions and the ephemeral
nature of positive emotions. In short, it predicts that negative feelings
will outweigh and outlast positive ones. So, despite increased physiological
arousal for both positive and negative news images, people will tend to
remember negative news stories.
For more details/information about this study, please contact:
Shyam Sundar Sethuraman
Associate Professor and Director
Media Effects Research Laboratory
College of Communications
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
Ph: (814) 865 2173
E-mail: sss12@psu.edu
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