Papers by T. Phillip Madison
Credibility and Attributes of Parasocial Relationships With Alex Jones
Southwestern Mass Communication Journal
Attitudes held with certainty may serve as powerful determinants of relevant political behavior, ... more Attitudes held with certainty may serve as powerful determinants of relevant political behavior, such as voting. Despite a large body of research in attitude certainty, minimal work has explored two of its distinct components: attitude correctness and attitude clarity. This study investigated how parasocial interaction (PSI) with former President Trump influences perceived correctness and clarity of attitudes toward him. Over 400 Amazon MTurk workers completed a survey. Data revealed the more participants engaged in PSI with Trump, the more they reported having negative attitudes toward him. PSI with Trump also predicted perceived attitude correctness and attitude clarity. Analysis suggested as participants engaged in cognitive activities such as evaluation and observation, perceived attitude correctness and clarity toward Trump became stronger. Conversely, as participants experienced positive affect toward Trump, perceived attitude correctness and clarity weakened. Behavioral PSI...
Southwestern Mass Communication Journal
This study explored perceptions of Infowars host Alex Jones’ credibility, and functions of audien... more This study explored perceptions of Infowars host Alex Jones’ credibility, and functions of audience parasocial relationships (PSRs) using a sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers (N = 584). Several PSR functions predicted perceived credibility of Alex Jones and viewing of Infowars. The conflict and self-understanding functions predicted perceived credibility while relationship maintenance, catharsis, and compensation predicted viewing Infowars. Demographic factors had no significant effect on perceived credibility, although education level was a negative predictor of viewing.
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
Background and aimsSocial network use is widespread, and the study of Instagram seems to have cap... more Background and aimsSocial network use is widespread, and the study of Instagram seems to have captured more attention in recent years. However, scale development and validation in the field has fallen short of providing sound scales of Instagram motives and usage patterns that consider the uniqueness of Instagram-related behavior. This paper describes the development, psychometric and cross-cultural validation of two new measurement instruments: the “Instagram Motives Questionnaire” (IMQ) and the “Instagram Uses and Patterns Questionnaire” (IUPQ).Methods and resultsA preliminary set of items was developed for each questionnaire based on a previous qualitative interview study on Instagram motives, uses, and consequences. In the first study, the questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 312 participants aged 18–35 years (M = 23.81; SD = 4.49), and an exploratory factor analysis was performed. A parsimonious and interpretable 6-factor solution that displayed adequate factor loadin...
Celebrity-Adapted Triangular Hate Scale
PsycTESTS Dataset
The COVID-19 Infodemic: Algorithmic Gatekeeping, Confirmation Bias, and Social Identity
The Emerald Handbook of Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Media
Distortions of Reality? Media Influence on Public Perception
It’s All in Your Head: The Evolution of Television, Parasociability and Imagined Interactions
Heisenberg, Tony Soprano and Me: Characteristics of Parasocial Relationships
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2020
Floods are among the most frequent and devastating natural hazards and disasters in many southern... more Floods are among the most frequent and devastating natural hazards and disasters in many southern states in the United States. This study examined the relationship and reciprocal predictability between two theoretical constructs—risk perception attitude (RPA) and information-seeking efficacy (ISE)—in regard to pluvial floods. In addition, this study extended these theoretical constructs to investigate differences in RPA and ISE among potential audience segments, providing practitioners with applicable insights for designing effective flood prevention and risk management campaigns. Analysis of data from 716 residents in south Louisiana revealed a statistically strong relationship between RPA and ISE. This research also identified specific audience segments that would benefit from an increase in RPA and ISE concerning floods. These meaningful findings inform a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the relationship between RPA and ISE and guide future disaster pre...
Functions of Imagined Interactions With AI Among Alexa-Users
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2021
Humans and agents of artificial intelligence (AI) participate in human-machine communication (HMC... more Humans and agents of artificial intelligence (AI) participate in human-machine communication (HMC) more frequently now than ever before – especially in the U.S. Voice powered assistants (VPAs) are widely accessible software agents that enact various social roles, such as personal assistants, and are increasingly packaged with AI-devices to complete simple-tasks, such as sending texts, more efficiently. VPAs are designed to mimic human-human interactions (HHIs) to facilitate more natural human-VPA interactions (HVPAIs). The focus of this study is on the psychological effects of HVPAIs with Amazon’s VPA, Alexa, to identify predictors of frequent Alexa-use through six functions of imagined interactions (IIs) – rehearsal, self-understanding, relational maintenance, conflict linkage, compensation and catharsis. A modified survey of imagined interaction was distributed to 810 self-reported Alexa-users recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Results suggest that HVPAIs with Ale...
Celebrity hate: Credibility and belief in a just world in prediction of celebrity hate
Psychology of Popular Media, 2020
Sheldon, P., Rauschnabel, P. A., Honeycutt, J. (2019). The dark side of social media: Psychological, managerial, and social perspectives
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2019
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2016
Occasionally, Imagination, Cognition, and Personality publishes reviews of new books from its rea... more Occasionally, Imagination, Cognition, and Personality publishes reviews of new books from its readers. Good reviews provide a valuable service by informing readers of new books and by critically informing them to the major issues that are addressed. If you wish to submit a review, before proceeding, please send an email of intent identifying the book using APA format
Cognitive and Imagery Attributes of Parasocial Relationships
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2015
In today’s rapidly changing “TV everywhere” environment of ubiquitous and always-connected screen... more In today’s rapidly changing “TV everywhere” environment of ubiquitous and always-connected screens, and instant social media interaction around and with complex and compelling television storylines and characters, perhaps it is time to take another look at media effects from a more social perspective. In this study, we provide that social perspective by examining imagined interactions, parasocial interactions (PSIs), and parasocial relationships (PSRs) as manifestations of intrapersonal communication. In the past decade, parasocial phenomena have become a hot topic in entertainment studies; yet, few researchers have worked to establish a strong theoretical foundation for this phenomenon. This study provides significant contributions to the literature by exploring and describing the attributes of imaginative processes revolving around parasocial contact with mediated personae. Specifically, we borrow from imagined interaction theory and identify the most salient relationships among a...
The People We Meet
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2015
A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported Americans spend more time watching television ... more A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported Americans spend more time watching television than engaging in interpersonal activities. At the same time, television content is increasing in both complexity and quality, and important questions are emerging. With viewers spending increased time with television content through omnipresent screens and always-on mobile devices, and with the content becoming more compelling, are media effects changing? This study takes a fresh look at the deep relationships audiences have with today's complex television characters and the ultimate effects of those relationships by exploring parasocial interactions and relationships from an intrapersonal perspective. In this survey, we found compelling evidence that viewers use parasocial relationships to maintain relationships with television characters, keep conflict alive, undergo catharsis, and develop a better understanding of themselves and their viewpoints.
Parasocial Compensation Hypothesis
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2015
In America, socializing with friends has become a functional alternative to watching television. ... more In America, socializing with friends has become a functional alternative to watching television. Such a drastic change in how we spend free time demands a closer look at media effects. The study at hand invokes intrapersonal communication research and parasocial interactions and relationships from the media effects literature, synthesizing a new line of research in the process. We ask, “What functions and characteristics of parasociability predict parasocial compensation for real-life interaction?” To explore this question, we combined data based on respondent identification numbers from two larger surveys that measured functions and characteristics of parasocial. An ordinary least squares regression with compensation as the focal variable revealed that parasocial thinking, when functioning as internal rehearsal and self-understanding, and when characterized by variety and self-dominance, predicts parasociability as compensation for human interaction. Retroactive parasocial thinking...
Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 2014
This study looks at partisan voting in light of imagined interactions (IIs). Imagined interaction... more This study looks at partisan voting in light of imagined interactions (IIs). Imagined interactions are a form of daydreaming that allows us to build scripts for use in our interpersonal relationships. II research has generally come from a functionalist perspective, and continues to prove its value in counseling and therapy, as well as to help us to understand intrapersonal communication in general. It has recently been extended into media effects research (i.e., Madison & Porter, 2012, 2014) and with the present study, voting intentions. We ask how respondents who claim to vote for candidates from certain political parties differ from those who do not in terms of the functions of their IIs. We surveyed college students at a prominent southern university ( N = 227) and collected data on voting intentions and functions of the respondent IIs. We found that both Republicans and Democrats tend to have fewer self-understanding and rehearsal IIs than those who indicated preference for inde...
An Intercultural Exploration of Journalistic Framing of Immigration in the Mexican Press and the United States Press
... Lakshmi Tirumala, Andrea Smith, Emily Buck, Wes Wise, Jessica Freeman, Nikki Seigrist, Jonath... more ... Lakshmi Tirumala, Andrea Smith, Emily Buck, Wes Wise, Jessica Freeman, Nikki Seigrist, Jonathan Welch, Brandon Nutting, Wendy Maxian, Tony Aguilar, Joel West, Anthony Galvez, and Hyo Jin Kim. ¡Mil gracias a todos! Page 4. ...
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Papers by T. Phillip Madison