Examining the Effect of Spatial Presence and Perceptual Realism on Crisis Information Seeking

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar VI

Abstract

In order to explore the interplay between presence and information seeking, an experiment was conducted in which participants viewed a news story about Hurricane Katrina on a standard definition television, high definition television, or video iPod. Findings indicate that the presence is strongly associated with the desire to seek further information. The results are discussed both in terms of implications for crisis message practitioners and support for past research linking presence with cognitive processing.

Authors

• Kenneth Lachlan, University of Massachusetts Boston

• David Westerman, West Virginia University

• Patric Spence, Western Michigan University