"REMIXING POLITICAL NEWS RECEPTION" Processes of Visuelle Framing in Multimodal Media Environments

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Stephanie Geise
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 447987152

Images convey information not only different to text, they also differ in the way they are sensorially perceived, and affectively as well as cognitively processed; and thus can induce specific effects. Even though the spread of political information through images has a long historical tradition, and images gain special importance in our contemporary age of digital media change, we still know little about the impact of images on the perception, processing and interpretation of political information. Taking this as an important starting point, the research project "REMIXING POLITICAL NEWS RECEPTION" asks: How do media images as visuals frames effect the perception, processing and interpretation of political information in multi-modal media environments? The question will be examined using the example of online-news, combining visual und text information (in the form of news texts and press photos) in political news coverage. Building upon theories on perception and processing of visual information as well as on the framing concept, an integrative research approach is presented, which emanates from the sensorial perception of visual political information in its multimodal context (Aspect 1) and focuses on affective (Aspect 2) and cognitive (Aspect 3, 4) media effects. For the empirical analysis, an innovative multi-method design will be realized, combining post-receptive and continuous research methods to systematically analyze the process of multi-modal perception of visual and textual information and its effects. In addition to a qualitative pre-study, the research design is comprised of three parts, which will be combined in an experimental setting and framed by a standardized pre-post-questionnaire. Study part 1 aims at the measurement of direct sensorial effects of medial frames (Aspect 1). In this part, the perception of visual and textual frames of selected online news article will be examined through Eyetracking. In study part 2, image and text effects will be captured on the affective level (Aspect 2) parallel to the perception applying FaceReader to measure the affective experience of the recipients and set it into relation to the data from sensorial and cognitive processing. The experimental design then is complemented by a qualitative elaboration study making use of retrospective thinking aloud techniques (study part 3). Study part 3 intends to further specify and balance the Eyetracking data, setting it into relation with data illuminating the cognitive understanding, elaboration and interpretation of the perceived information (Aspect 3 and 4). Aiming to capture not only one-shot results, but also cumulative framing effects over time, the study is conducted with a longitudinal design, encompassing four waves of treatment exposure and data collection. The study promises important and new findings regarding the reception of visual and textual political information in multimodal media environments.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants