Timothy C. Brock

Melanie C. Green

perspektywa psychologiczna

Perswazja

Abstract: The concept of social capital, "features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation" (Putnam, 1995, p. 67), underlies recent attempts to understand community functioning and civic engagement. Putnam suggested that American social capital is declining, and that the rise of television is a primary cause. This dissertation investigated factors affecting individuals' choices of real social activities, versus "ersatz" (substitute) social activities. Ersatz activities are mediated activities (e.g., television viewing, computer-based interaction) that provide alternate means of fulfilling belongingness and interaction needs. Real social activities are more readily presumed to create social capital than ersatz activities. The dissertation comprises five regular chapters and a special sixth "highlights" chapter. The sixth chapter selectively reprises the entire dissertation into a lecture for general readers. Chapter 1 presents theory and a review of the literature. Chapter 2 describes a series of studies in which individuals had the option of a real interaction (with other students), an ersatz interaction (with a "chatterbot" computer simulation), or a non-social option (typing their thoughts alone). Mood was manipulated by false feedback (Study 1B; N = 215 undergraduates) or by reading affect-laden statements (Study 1C; N = 123 undergraduates); in a supplemental control condition (Study 1D; N = 27 undergraduates), mood was not manipulated. Across all studies, a substantial proportion of individuals chose the chatterbot option, and this ersatz choosing was generally robust across mood and interpersonal trust. These results were in contrast to a version of the same study that employed hypothetical choices (Study 1 A; N = 89), where most participants chose real interaction. The experiment described in Chapter 3 (N = 118 undergraduates) allowed participants to rate real and ersatz activities, and then select changes that would make those activities more or less appealing. The alterations tapped effort, risk, and immediate gratification dimensions. The pattern of alteration revealed that risk was a substantial consideration for real activities, while effort and immediate gratification drove choices of ersatz activities. Chapter 4 investigated the social-capital dimensions of real and ersatz activities, and the change in trust and activities over time. College students (N = 180) participated in a multi-wave longitudinal study over the course of an academic year. A non-student sample (N = 60) participated in a single-session survey investigating the same issues. Results revealed that real activities were better at instantiating most of the social capital-building dimensions, in both the student and non-student groups. Despite these advantages of real activities, ersatz alternatives appeared frequently in the free-response activity listing, particularly for the student sample. Trust did not change substantially over the time period of the study. In conclusion (Chapter 5), these results suggested that although individuals gain more benefits from real activities, and believe that they would choose real activities if given the option, people actually choose ersatz alternatives regularly. This frequent recourse to substitute social interaction occurred both in our laboratory investigations and in the free-response activity listings. Furthermore, the data suggested that psychological risk is a deterrent to real activities, while immediate gratification and low effort are attractions of ersatz. The current studies provide a fuller picture of both the frequency of ersatz choice and the motivations for those choices. Chapter 6 provided a streamlined version of the dissertation that was intended as a lecture accessible to a general audience. Chapter 6 substantially reorganized the first five chapters and borrowed selectively from them in order to provide a shorter and more coherent account of the highlights.

Laboratory and Longitudinal Approaches

Choice of Real Versus Ersatz Social Interactions in the Formation of Social Capital

The impact of public narratives has been so broad (including effects on beliefs and behavior but extending beyond to emotion and personality), that the stakeholders in the process have been located across disciplines, institutions, governments, and, indeed, across epochs. Narrative Impact draws upon scholars in diverse branches of psychology and media research to explore the subjective experience of public narratives, the affordances of the narrative environment, and the roles played by narratives in both personal and collective spheres. The book brings together current theory and research presented primarily from an empirical psychological and communications perspective, as well as contributions from literary theory, sociology, and censorship studies. To be commensurate with the broad scope of influence of public narratives, the book includes the narrative mobilization of major social movements, the formation of self-concepts in young people, banning of texts in schools, the constraining impact of narratives on jurors in the court room, and the wide use of education entertainment to affect social changes. Taken together, the interdisciplinary nature of the book and its stellar list of contributors set it apart from many edited volumes. Narrative Impact will draw readership from various fields, including sociology, literary studies, and curriculum policy. Providing new explanatory concepts, this book: *is the first account on the psychology of narrative persuasion and brings together the relevant conceptualizations from within various sectors of psychology together with the major issues that concern cognate disciplines outside of psychology; *focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the power of public narratives to achieve broad historical and social changes; *offers breakthroughs to the future: the role of "presence" in virtual reality narratives; the role of "zines" in females' fashioning of their selves; and the central role of imagery in transportation into narrative worlds; *explains varying roles of emotion in narrative immersion; and *addresses the growing blurring of fact and fiction: mechanisms and implications for beliefs and behavior.

Social and Cognitive Foundations

Narrative Impact

Jeffrey J. Strange

Persuasion: Psychological Insights and Perspectives, Second Edition highlights important and influential views on persuasion and guides students through the important contemporary centers of basic and applied persuasion research. The renowned contributors to this volume apply cutting-edge knowledge from their current research across a variety of domains, including health, advertising, prejudice, political communication, group decision making, and the impact of narratives. This Second Edition has been revised and updated to reflect new research from the past decade. It includes entirely new chapters on prejudice, persuasiveness of narratives, mass media and political persuasion, small groups, and advertising.

Melanie C. Green

Books

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