Memory for Media Content in Health Communication

Author(s):  
Soyoon Kim ◽  
Brian G. Southwell

Typical discussion about the success of mediated health communication campaigns focuses on the direct and indirect links between remembered campaign exposure and outcomes; yet, what constitutes information exposure and how it is remembered remain unclearly defined in much health communication research. This problem mainly stems from the complexity of understanding the concept of memory. Prolific discussions about memory have occurred in cognitive psychology in recent decades, particularly owing to advances in neuroimaging technologies. The evolution of memory research—from unitary or dichotomous perspectives to multisystem perspectives—has produced substantial implications for the topics and methods of studying memory. Among the various conceptualizations and types of memory studied, what has been of particular interest to health-communication researchers and practitioners is the notion of “encoded exposure.” Encoded exposure is a form of memory at least retrievable by a potential audience member through a conscious effort to recollect his or her past engagement with any particular unit of campaign content. While other aspects of memory (e.g., non-declarative or implicit memory) are certainly important for communication research, the encoded exposure assessed under a retrieval condition offers a critical point at which to establish the exposure-outcome link for the purpose of campaign design and evaluation. The typical methods to assess encoded exposure include recall and recognition tasks, which can be exercised in various ways depending on retrieval cues provided by a researcher to assess different types and levels of cognitive engagement with exposed information. Given that encoded exposure theoretically relies on minimal memory trace, communication scholars have suggested that recognition-based tasks are more appropriate and efficient indicators of encoded exposure compared to recall-based tasks that require a relatively high degree of current-information salience and accessibility. Understanding the complex nature of memory also has direct implications for the prediction of memory as one of the initial stages of communication effects. Some prominent message-level characteristics (e.g., variability in the structural and content features of a health message) or message recipient-level characteristics (e.g., individual differences in cognitive abilities) might be more or less predictive of different memory systems or information-processing mechanisms. In addition, the environments (e.g., bodily and social contexts) in which people are exposed to and interact with campaign messages affect individual memory. While the effort has already begun, directions for future memory research in health communication call for more attention to sharpening the concept of memory and understanding memory as a unique or combined function of multilevel factors.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 574-575
Author(s):  
Alison Chasteen ◽  
Sali Tagliamonte

Abstract In line with this year’s 75th anniversary theme, we will show why aging matters for communication and language. Specifically, in this symposium we will show how aging affects communication and language across a variety of social contexts, social roles, and cognitive abilities. Pabst & Tagliamonte discuss the effects of aging on language use by examining an individual’s daily diary entries over 30 years, including the onset and progression of dementia. Saunders considers language and communication in the context of social interaction among persons with dementia living in a long-term care setting. Savundranayagam et al. test the efficacy of a communication intervention for personal support workers who work with persons with dementia. Chasteen & Tagliamonte consider how ageism is communicated to middle-aged and older adults in everyday life. Taken together, these presentations will provide a multidimensional lens to understanding language and communication in later life.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 548-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Schulz ◽  
Uwe Hartung

2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenzie A. Cameron ◽  
Hanneke de Haes ◽  
Adriaan Visser

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. I-IV
Author(s):  
Sarah Geber ◽  
Tobias Frey ◽  
Thomas N. Friemel

Health and health-related behaviours are embedded in social contexts in various ways which comprise both risks and opportunities for health communication. We propose a research agenda on social aspects of health communication and introduce the articles of the present special issue. Owing to the complexity of individuals’ social contexts, the research agenda addresses questions lying at the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. The issue’s articles cover different and highly relevant questions of this research agenda, ranging from stigmatisation to impression management to collective action and from experimental designs to qualitative interviews and netnography. In sum, the articles demonstrate not only the diversity but also the relevance of academic research on social aspects of health communication. We expect that this topic will continue gaining importance, given the ongoing digitalisation of the media environment and the increasing interconnectedness of producers and users, doctors and patients, and experts and laypersons.


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