Comedic Cognition: The Impact of Elaboration on Political Comedy Effects

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Political Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Political comedy has developed into an integral component of the political information environment. Political humor can inform and persuade viewers. However, not all political comedy programs are equal. John Oliver leads a trend of long-form political comedy that is better researched and more deeply analyzed. The current study employed an Elaboration Likelihood framework to design and execute an experiment to investigate the mechanism through which political comedy influences knowledge acquisition and attitudinal congruence. The study explores and explicates the role of elaboration, the impact of the evolving structure of presentation and distribution on social media, and the moderating influence of an individual’s affinity for political humor. Though traditional political comedy persuades viewers through the peripheral route, long-form comedy relies on greater elaboration.

Authors

• Freddie J Jennings, University ofMissouri

• Josh Bramlett, U of Missouri - Columbia

• Benjamin Ryan Warner, University of Missouri