The Persuasive Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Multitasking With Second Screen Media

• In Event: Multitasking and Selective Attention

Abstract

Multiscreening, a relatively new form of media multitasking with TV and a second screen device, has implications for the effects (i.e., memory and evaluation) of persuasive messages due to concurrent modalities (i.e., both visual). This study examined 1) whether multiscreening, like other forms of media multitasking, leads to declines in memory, and 2) the underlying mechanisms of the effect of multiscreening on evaluative outcomes. Three underlying mechanisms were examined: counterarguing, processing fluency, and enjoyment. The experiment (N = 182), in which multiscreening (i.e., TV and tablet) was compared with single medium use, confirmed the memory deficit for multiscreening. Furthermore, the results showed that both counterarguing and processing fluency are underlying mechanisms of the effect of multiscreening on evaluative outcomes.

Authors

• Claire Monique Segijn, U of Amsterdam

• Hilde Voorveld, ASCoR, U of Amsterdam

• Edith Gloria Smit, U of Amsterdam