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Browsing by Author "Anderson, Ashley, advisor"

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    Helping behaviors during disaster reporting stages: a measure of innate and conditioned differences in empathy and compassion generation
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Thompson, Jena J., author; Anderson, Ashley, advisor; Trumbo, Craig, committee member; Henry, Kimberly, committee member
    The frequency of significant disasters has increased, worldwide; yet, donations have not steadily increased to provide sufficient disaster relief for those affected by the events. This study investigates how two disaster news reporting stages (Stage 1 and 2) with different newswriting formats (hard and soft news stories) can affect millennials' generation of empathy, compassion, and helping behaviors. Innate tendencies (in the form of emotional contagion and gender differences) and conditioned responses (through internalization of the principle of care) were also considered as moderating variables for helping behaviors. The study incorporated an experimental design with random assignment to a Stage 1, hard news story or Stage 2, soft news story condition. While no significant relationships were found among generated empathy, compassion, or helping behavior intent in either news story condition; significant results were found for emotional contagion and gender differences' moderating role in helping behavior intent, as well as the principle of care's effect on donation decisions. Best practices for improving disaster relief communication campaigns include 1) heightened fundraising campaigns during Stage 1 and 2 reporting, 2) strategic content organization to increase helping behavior likelihood, 3) utilizing media platforms catered more toward females, 4) more emphasis on volunteering opportunities for millennials rather than financial investments, 5) greater diversity in terms of who millennials can partner with to aid in disaster relief, and 6) continued improvement of communication campaigns directed toward millennials and commitment to include this generation in disaster recovery efforts.
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    In times of extreme weather events: Gen Z and information seeking about climate change on digital media
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Okeke, Ujunwa Melvis, author; Anderson, Ashley, advisor; Sivakumar, Gaya, committee member; Melzer, Susan, committee member
    This study aimed to examine the factors that motivate Gen Z members to seek information and engage in conversations in digital media around the topic of climate change. The current study adopted some individual-level factors from the original Risk Information Seeking and Processing model. An ordinary least squares regression model was used to explore data from an online survey administered to students (n=76) at Colorado State University. Results showed that informational subjective norms, current knowledge of extreme weather events, and perceptions of extreme weather events are related to climate change information seeking. In addition, information seeking, and the approach taken to process information leads to interactivity around climate change issues on digital media. One of the ways people get involved with climate change is seeking and having conversations on the topic. This research provides practical insights for reaching members of Generation Z. Stakeholders should utilize young adults' social networks to encourage more engagement on the topic, make an effort in writing articles that can alleviate people's hope not bash it. Encouragement of deeper engagement with the issue through alternative modes of communication and adding technological features that encourage interactions on online articles are recommended.
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    Make 'em laugh: humor's role in seeking science-based messages
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Patterson, Ashley L., author; Anderson, Ashley, advisor; Johnson, Emily, committee member; Marx, Nick, committee member
    Science information as a whole has become known as a controversial topic because it often invokes political beliefs and social values when it is presented in the media. This has resulted in audiences being cautious about engaging with scientific messages. Humor is increasingly being used as a strategy to communicate science-related information, yet research on its effectiveness is still growing. The goal of this project was to contribute empirical evidence to the limited pool of literature and outreach tactics that exist regarding the application of humor science-based content on social media. Through a two-condition, between subjects, online experiment this project measured if positive emotion, conceptualized as feeling joy, which can be described as experiencing elation or mirth, was invoked when exposed to a humorous science-based message; whether exposure to humorous science-based messages have a direct effect on information engagement; and if experiencing a positive emotion impacted greater levels of information engagement. Participants were undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at the Colorado State University, Fort Collins campus who were registered in a course within the Journalism and Media Communication department during Spring 2024. A total of 117 participants gave responses while the survey was live in the SONA system, between February 2-23, 2024. Results indicate participants who were exposed to a humorous science message were more likely to experience a positive emotion and had a higher likelihood of seeking out or sharing similar messages in the future. Additionally, the experience of a positive emotion was a significant factor in a participant's likelihood of seeking out or sharing similar messages. Results suggest that individuals exposed to a humorous message are more inclined to experience positive emotions and those who did are more inclined to participate in information engagement in the future. This study indicates that humor plays a significant role in driving information engagement.
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    There's something in the air: studying the behavioral intention of outdoor workers to protect their health during air quality events
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Giesenhagen, Erica Therese, author; Anderson, Ashley, advisor; Abrams, Katie, committee member; Magzamen, Sheryl, committee member
    Poor air quality has been an issue in the United States for decades and has been made more prevalent due to the world's changing environment. Exposure to poor air quality can lead to both short- and long-term health effects that can range in severity. There are a number of health-protective measures an individual can take in order to reduce the effects of poor air quality. The purpose of this study is to research what motivates outdoor workers to take health-protective measures during periods of poor air quality. This study utilizes the Health Belief Model (HBM) and a qualitative approach. Through focus groups with outdoor workers from the City of Fort Collins (n = 18), this study aimed to find out what motivates outdoor workers to take health-protective measures during air quality events. Main findings were that outdoor workers at the City of Fort Collins have experienced air quality events and have the knowledge of what health-protective measures they can take to limit their exposure. It was evident that there is limited action in taking health-protective action during periods of poor air quality. The study concludes with suggestions for ways that current functions of the City of Fort Collins can be improved to further support the outdoor workers for taking health-protective action from poor air quality.