TY - JOUR
T1 - Aging and the Questionable Validity of Recognition-Based Exposure Measurement
AU - Southwell, Brian G.
AU - Gilkerson, Nathan D.
AU - Depue, Jacob B.
AU - Shelton, Ashleigh K.
AU - Friedenberg, Laura M.
AU - Koutstaal, Wilma
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Growing evidence suggests that basic exposure measures, such as recognition-based items, might not operate identically among older and younger adults. We present two studies relevant to this debate. Study 1 provides experimental confirmation of the recognition decline hypothesis, finding an interaction between age and exposure in predicting recognition memory for an advertisement related to global warming. Study 2 assesses television news project evaluation data to explore whether verbatim detail recognition difficulty explains Study 1 results. The two studies provide complementary evidence, not only illustrating recognition decline among the elderly but also providing careful control of exposure in Study 1 and the use of multiple messages, realistic viewing scenarios, and free recall data in Study 2. Taken together, the studies offer a cautionary tale for campaign evaluators. On a broader theoretical level, the results suggest a fruitful path for communication research focused on the nuanced and potentially critical moderating role of age.
AB - Growing evidence suggests that basic exposure measures, such as recognition-based items, might not operate identically among older and younger adults. We present two studies relevant to this debate. Study 1 provides experimental confirmation of the recognition decline hypothesis, finding an interaction between age and exposure in predicting recognition memory for an advertisement related to global warming. Study 2 assesses television news project evaluation data to explore whether verbatim detail recognition difficulty explains Study 1 results. The two studies provide complementary evidence, not only illustrating recognition decline among the elderly but also providing careful control of exposure in Study 1 and the use of multiple messages, realistic viewing scenarios, and free recall data in Study 2. Taken together, the studies offer a cautionary tale for campaign evaluators. On a broader theoretical level, the results suggest a fruitful path for communication research focused on the nuanced and potentially critical moderating role of age.
KW - aging
KW - exposure
KW - measurement
KW - media effects
KW - memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77957874818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77957874818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0093650209356442
DO - 10.1177/0093650209356442
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77957874818
SN - 0093-6502
VL - 37
SP - 603
EP - 619
JO - Communication Research
JF - Communication Research
IS - 5
ER -