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Persuasive testimonials are common in commercial, nonprofit, and public health contexts. They pose challenges to existing theories of narrative persuasion because they are typically both narrative and overtly persuasive. Prior research has suggested testimonials may be effective with counter-attitudinal recipients by decreasing negative affective responses and increasing meaningful affect. Often, however, testimonials may address behaviors that are anxiety provoking rather than counter-attitudinal; prior research provides little theoretical or empirical guidance concerning message influence in the face of such anxiety. An experiment comparing a testimonial versus a non-narrative message advocating end-of-life conversations found that the testimonial message increased behavioral intentions via meaningful affect and self-efficacy. The testimonial did not decrease anxiety, and there was no differential impact on high versus low anxiety recipients. The authors conclude that a eudaimonic testimonial may serve as a motivator of behavior regardless of anxiety concerning the message topic, as well as a means of increasing self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mediated wisdom of experience (MWOE) framework posits that eudaimonic entertainment can produce outcomes associated with emotional maturity (e.g. delayed gratification). However, this framework has only been tested with adults. In the current experiment, parents and their 8- to 12-year-old children (N = 230) watched scenes from a popular Pixar movie that featured high or low levels of eudaimonic content (i.e. a bittersweet farewell vs. a humorous interaction). Afterward, they discussed emotional or superficial aspects of the scene (e.g. how characters felt vs. their favorite character). Results indicated that watching the high eudaimonic scene elicited children's mixed emotions, which indirectly enhanced their delayed gratification. However, the significance of these effects depended on how mixed emotions were calculated. Age and conversation condition did not moderate any effects. These results hint at the utility of MWOE for investigating childhood entertainment experiences and highlight important issues with measuring mixed emotions in young audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exploratory study surveyed 367 US Black, Latinx, and White parents of children (ages 4–7) and tested theoretical propositions of social identity gratifications theory and multicultural theory to determine the influence of ethnic-racial identity on media selection of ethnic-racial diverse content. The findings partially support both SIG and multicultural theory. Approximately two-thirds of the participants recalled watching a diverse ethnic or racial portrayal in the media with their child. Results indicated that Black and Latinx parents reported stronger ethnic-racial identity relative to White parents. Ethnic-racial identity predicted attitudes but not beliefs toward diverse ethnic and race portrayals; ethnic-racial identity, attitudes, and beliefs predicted media endorsement of such portrayals to their children. Implications for future research on media based ethnic-racial socialization practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study exposed participants (N = 299) to different message frames to investigate whether Family Communication Patterns (FCP) and message characteristics influenced willingness to communicate about Family Health History (FHH). Message frames were either collective (our), individual (mine), or control (no pronouns). Afterward, participants were asked about their perceived collective psychological ownership of health information, attitudes, subjective norms, and FHH communication intentions. Although the message frames had no impact on perceived collective psychological ownership of health information, conversation orientation and conformity orientation (respecting parental authority) were positively associated with perceived collective psychological ownership of health information. Additionally, perceived collective psychological ownership, attitudes, and subjective norms were found to have indirect effects between FCP and FHH communication intentions. These findings provide further support that FCP influences how health message appeals are processed and suggest interventions could be tailored to FCP orientations for effective FHH behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two online experimental studies (nstudy1 = 318, nstudy2 = 462) were conducted to examine whether social media informant type (celebrity influencer vs. expert) and presentation type (numeric vs. generic information) influenced behavioral intentions. Results from Study 1 found that expert-authored posts with numeric information were more persuasive for credibility assessments and, in turn, intentions to obtain the COVID-19 booster vaccine. In Study 2, we retest our hypotheses in the context of support for police reform. Contrary to expectations, neither message manipulation persuaded individuals. Partisanship, however, played a key role in behavioral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on terror management theory (TMT), three experiments examined the impact of mortality threat on nostalgic entertainment experiences. Study 1 (N = 98) validated the stimuli used to elicit three different types of threat: mortality, isolation, and illness. Study 2 (N = 464) found no impact of these threats on participants' entertainment preferences. Consistent with TMT, Study 3 (N = 906) found that participants experienced a deeper sense of appreciation and solace when they watched a movie under mortality threat. However, these effects only occurred for a lighthearted movie with nostalgic qualities (i.e., Pixar's Toy Story) and not for a meaningful movie with death-related themes (i.e., Pixar's Onward). The results illustrated the need for entertainment theorists to adopt a more expansive conceptualization of meaningfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While visiting a science museum, mothers (N = 125) and their 4- to 7-year-old children were recruited to read one of four versions of an educational storybook. These storybooks detailed either male-dominated careers (i.e., STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) or female-dominated careers (i.e., HEED: health, early education, and domestic roles), and they featured either a male protagonist or a female protagonist. Results indicated that the STEM storybook led mothers to perceive STEM careers as more suitable for their children, and it led girls to express more interest in STEM careers. However, there was some indication that mothers directed more discouraging comments toward their children (e.g., "You don't like that") while reading the HEED storybook, especially when it featured a male protagonist. This version also led boys to express less interest in HEED careers. These results suggest that exposure to stories with stereotype-defying characters can benefit girls, yet sometimes backfire among boys. Given the context of the study (i.e., a science museum), it remains possible that these results only apply to children from relatively advantaged backgrounds (i.e., higher family income and education). Accordingly, future research will need to examine whether these results differ among children from less advantaged backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study extends family communication patterns (FCP) research to assess how family communication schemata (conversation and conformity orientation dimensions) influence systematic processing of health appeals intended to persuade individuals to seek family health history information, emphasizing an updated conceptualization of family conformity (i.e., the expanded conformity orientation scale). Our results suggest that conversation orientation and the conformity dimension of parental control are the primary drivers of systematic processing of family health history messages. Systematic processing, in turn, was significantly associated with more positive attitudes and greater intentions to seek health information from family members. Our results suggest family communication patterns may impact individual engagement with family health history campaign messages, thus campaign designers may want to consider how best to tailor messages to match family communication characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of eudaimonic entertainment experiences have primarily examined the effects of exposure to serious content (e.g. tragic movies) rather than lighthearted content that nonetheless harbors personal significance (e.g. beloved movies from childhood). Two experiments investigated the characteristics of these so-called nostalgic entertainment experiences among U.S. adults, using Star Wars movies in Study 1 (N = 1,127) and animated Disney movies in Study 2 (N = 945). Results indicate that exposure to nostalgic content elicits more appreciation than comparable content released recently (i.e. sequels and remakes), and the same level of appreciation as exposure to scenes of self-sacrifice. However, exposure to nostalgic content produces self-affirmation, whereas exposure to scenes of self-sacrifice produces self-transcendence. These findings underscore the limitations of existing two-factor models of entertainment, and modifications are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profiles Shanti K. Khinduka, pioneer in international social development and social work education. Details of his leadership at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis; Highlights of his tenure as dean in the said institution; Contribution of Khinduka to social work practice.