Message Attributes and Parental Mediation Effects on Children: How Parental Communication Modifies Message Framing Effects

• In Event: Children & Family Health Communication

Abstract

In this paper, we ask whether videos with safety messages targeting young children be positively or negatively framed, and when parents talk to children about media content, does it matter whether they are provided guidance on how to do so? We conducted a 2 (message frame: positive or negative) x 3 (parental mediation: no mediation, unguided mediation, or guided mediation), randomized between-subjects experiment with parent-child pairs (N = 322; age of children: between 6 and 9 years old). Results indicated that unprompted recall was greater in the unguided mediation condition. For the other outcomes (understanding, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions), positive frames were superior to negative frames. Guided mediation, on the whole, was superior to no mediation or unguided mediation. Overall, results support the effectiveness of positive framing and parents participating in a teachable moment with their kids in order to enhance the positive effects of media messages.

Authors

• Adrienne Haesun Chung, George Washington U

• Rajiv N. Rimal, George Washington U

• Dina L. G. Borzekowski, U of Maryland

• Andrea Gielen, Johns Hopkins U