M.A. - Communicology

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/25804

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Testing a perspective-taking inoculation intervention against multimodal health misinformation: A conceptual replication
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Villacastin , Juven Nino; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
Previous studies have shown that perspective-taking inoculation interventions against misinformation – where individuals learn to identify misinformation techniques by adopting a misinformation author's perspective – are effective at improving people’s ability to spot misinformation. However, producing such interventions can often be costly, thus prompting the need for low-cost alternatives. The study tested whether a low-cost, perspective-taking inoculation intervention would replicate findings found in previous tests of misinformation interventions, and whether this increase can be attributed to an increase in motivation to defend against misinformation and counterarguing as predicted by McGuire’s (1964) Inoculation Theory. Using a two-group, between-subjects, pretest-posttest experimental design, 174 participants were randomly assigned to either a misinformation intervention or control condition (learning generic message design practices in social media). While results showed the intervention significantly increased participant’s misinformation detection accuracy (g = 0.37, p < .001), there was no significant difference in accuracy increase between the intervention group and the control group (g = 0.14, p = .34), and indirect effects on accuracy through motivation and counterarguing were not observed. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Effects of online advertisements on processing and evaluating scientific explanations
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Soma Tsutsuse, Kayla; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
According to the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), message-based persuasion can occur via the central or peripheral route. If a receiver lacks prior knowledge of a subject or is distracted, they may be less likely to engage in elaboration of the message and are more likely to rely on the peripheral route of persuasion (Petty & Cacioppo, 1981; Petty & Cacioppo, 1984; O’Keefe, 2013). Previous studies (e.g., Weisberg et al., 2008; 2015) support this notion of the ELM, as previous studies have found that novices in an area of science (e.g., neuroscience) potentially engage in lower levels of elaboration and rely on peripheral cues (e.g., the inclusion of superfluous neuroscience evidence) when judging how satisfying scientific explanations are. However, it is important to consider that most scientific information is consumed through science news websites, where additional distractors (e.g., advertisements) are common. In the current study, scientific novices rated direct explanations as higher quality than circular explanations, but showed no significant difference in satisfaction with explanations presented without advertisements. Participants then rated explanations with visually central advertisements as lower in quality and satisfaction compared to explanations with no advertisements or advertisements in the visual periphery. The relationship between advertisement placement and satisfaction and quality ratings of explanations was mediated by processing fluency, but not mediated by eye gaze towards advertisements or recall for advertisements. Therefore, results suggest that visually central advertisements (i.e., embedded within the text), interrupted processing of explanations, leading to lower quality and satisfaction ratings.
Distinguishing workplace peers through speech events
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Prasad, Ashmika; Ebesu Hubbard, Amy S.; Communicology
Peer relationships can provide multiple personal and professional benefits. However, little is known about the types of peer-to-peer relationships in the workplace and the communication that occurs in these relationships. By assessing speech events of informational, collegial, and special peers at the workplace, this exploratory study brought a better understanding of how communication constitutes peer-coworker relationships. Forty-eight retail employees who communicate with their peers completed a survey. Goldsmith and Baxter’s research on speech events used in everyday conversations formed the basis to measure the frequency of speech events used by co-workers of varying closeness at the workplace. My findings suggest that co-workers consider their peers as friends and feel close to them. Findings on the speech events co-workers engage in with different peers showed that workplace peers communicate using superficial and informal talk. My study helped to deconstruct the relationship between how co-workers feel about each other, and how these intrinsic perceptions were conveyed through their everyday communication.
An Analysis of The Effects Of Labeling Attachment Styles In a Romantic Relationship
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Wilson, Konni; Hubbard, Amy S. E.; Communicology
Over the years, research on attachment styles has given insight to common behavioral characteristics and personality traits for each attachment style. The literature gives insight to how better to manage and make sense of ourselves and by extensions our relationships. Little research in attachment theory has been done involving couples, namely where attachment styles were shared within couples. In addition, no research has been done to see what effects would occur by explicitly informing couples of their attachment styles and making them reflect on it together. This study tested what effects the influence of attachment style labels might have on changes in relational uncertainty and relational maintenance behaviors. It was anticipated that labels would lead to better understanding of how to buffer their partner’s emotions to meet their needs and thus prompt behavioral change, by way of sense making. While this study found that attachment style labels had no statistically significant effects in decreasing relational uncertainty nor in increasing maintenance behaviors, all couples reported a desire to increase usage of relational maintenance behaviors, especially sharing more personal thoughts and feelings with your partner and including their partners in more interactions with family and friends. Keywords: Attachment style, romantic relationships, couples, relational uncertainty, sense making, partner buffering.
College Students' Perceived Quality of Academic-Related Advice from Peers
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Bumanglag, Mark Jehnsen Sapigao; Taniguchi-Dorios, Emiko; Communicology
Giving advice can be challenging especially when the recipient is in distress. Previous research shows that advice messages that communicate politeness are often perceived as higher in quality. Moreover, other factors such as problem seriousness may play a role in the evaluation of advice quality. Drawing on advice response theory (ART), this study aimed to explore (a) the relationship between politeness (positive and negative facework) and recipient’s perceptions of advice quality in solicited advice situations and (b) if problem seriousness moderates this association. This study focused on college students’ perceptions of academic-related advice from their peers. Participants were recruited from college students taking a Communicology course at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Participants were asked to complete an online survey assessing their perceptions on politeness, problem seriousness, and quality of the advice from their peers. A regression analysis revealed that only positive facework (but not negative facework) significantly predicted advice quality. Furthermore, problem seriousness did not moderate the relationship between facework and advice quality.
“Are My Bikini Pics Bothering You?” The Uploading Of A Romantic Partner’s Sexy Photo On Social Media And Its Effects On Jealousy And Relationship Satisfaction
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Asuncion, Dayna Aulani; Shin, Soo Y.; Communicology
This study advances research on romantic relationships and partner posting behaviors on social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram) by examining the phenomenon of partner posting a sexy photo of themselves online. It was predicted that the more a person’s romantic partner posts his or her sexy photos on social media, the more jealousy the person feels. Moreover, I questioned how the attachment dimensions moderates the relationship between partner posting a sexy photo and feelings of jealousy, as well as, how jealousy is associated to relationship satisfaction. Participants underwent a 15-minute survey that measured frequency or likelihood of a partner posting sexy photos online, jealousy, attachment style, and relationship satisfaction. The results yield no significant relationship between the posting of a partner’s sexy photo and jealousy. No interaction was found between the posting of a partner’s sexy photo and attachment dimensions on jealousy, and a significant relationship was found between cognitive jealousy and relationship satisfaction. The results also showed a significant relationship between posting their own sexy photo online and the amount of jealousy they feel toward their partner, as well as a significant relationship between relationship visibility on one’s own social networking sites and relationship satisfaction. Despite my prediction not being supported, the current study expands research surrounding social networking sites and romantic relationships as it discovers significant relationships between specific posting behaviors and types of jealousy.
Are Low Female Waist-to-hip Ratios A Costly Signal? Explicating The Communicative Function Of Female Waist-to-hip Ratios
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Buist, Gabrielle Christene; Zhang, Jinguang; Communicology
The male preference for low female waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs) has been documented across cultures and time. According to costly signaling theory, this male preference could not have evolved unless low female WHRs reliably communicate information about females that increase men’s reproductive success. Previous research suggests that, relative to high female WHRs, low female WHRs signal the availability of valuable reproductive fat and nubility (i.e., a woman is ready to reproduce but has not been pregnant yet). This line of work begs an important question: what has maintained the reliability of low female WHRs as a biological signal? As the first attempt to address this question, I hypothesize in this thesis that growing and maintaining low female WHRs suppress native immunity (indicated by, e.g., lower white blood cell count, or WBCC) such that women with lower WHRs will tend to be slower in responding to infections. To test this hypothesis, I analyzed two reasonably large, existing datasets respectively from China (CHNS) and the U.S. (NHANES III) and observed three major findings after controlling for fat deposition in other body parts (e.g., upper-arm) and the body-mass index (BMI). First, lower female WHRs significantly correlated with lower WBCC not in CHNS but in NHANES III. Second, smaller waists significantly correlated with lower WBCC in both CHNS and NHANES III. Third, and most notably, thicker thighs (but not hips) significantly correlated with lower WBCC in NHANES III (CHNS did not provide thigh measures). These findings largely support my immunity-suppression hypothesis and help launch a new phase of research on the communicative function of female WHRs.
Man, That’s Funny: The Evolved Function Of Aggressive Humor
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Duarte, Brent Hidetaka; Zhang, Jinguang; Communication
Aggressive humor is humor that reflects an intention to ridicule and insult others. Previous studies found that the use of aggressive humor tends to damage interpersonal relationships and associates with traits typically considered socially undesirable. However, the use of aggressive humor is prevalent, so much so that it is considered one of four major types of humor alongside affiliative, self-enhancing, and self-defeating humor. These findings present an evolutionary puzzle: why has nature preserved a seemingly maladaptive behavior such as aggressive humor?In this thesis, I offered an evolutionary, functional analysis of the use of aggressive humor, and my main argument is that similar to physical aggression and other types of verbal aggression, the use of aggressive humor facilitates intrasexual competition. I conducted a crosssectional survey (N = 400 U.S. adults) to test this intrasexual-competition hypothesis of aggressive humor, and the findings are threefold. First, male respondents, on average, scored significantly higher than female respondents on a self-report measure of the use of aggressive humor, replicating the findings of prior research. Second, a measure of intrasexual-competition (but not courtship) motive positively and significantly correlated with the self-report measure of the tendency to use aggressive humor. This correlation remained significant after I controlled for covariates related to the mating effort and aggression but dropped to non-significance after I controlled for the Dark Triad personality traits. Third, there was no evidence that respondents’ sex moderated the correlation between the motive to intrasexually compete and the tendency to use aggressive humor. Collectively, these findings largely support the hypothesis that the use of aggressive humor is related to intrasexual competition, which could be why nature has preserved the use of aggressive humor despite its negative impact on interpersonal relationships.
Memorable Messages Concerning Body Image: Examining Source and Channel
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Shimizu, Zoe; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
Abstract In an individual’s life there are messages that have a lasting impact and change the individual’s perspective of themselves or the world. Memorable messages research has shown how impactful a single message can be, yet there is a lack of empirical research examining how two major components of memorable message, source and channel, can impact message reception. This study asked participants (n = 113) for memorable messages that has impacted their body image the most. This study asked participants to recall and self-report the source, channel and content of their memorable message, then evaluate the message’s impact using self-esteem and body appreciation measures. This study hypothesized that social media influencers will be sources of memorable messages. The hypothesis was supported; participants identified sources that they did not personally know (SMI/celebrities). Additionally, this study explicitly examined what channels were being used when receiving memorable messages and if social media was channel that individuals could receive memorable messages through. It was found that face-to-face was the channel used most to receive memorable messages; this study added to memorable message research by showing that social media can also be a channel used to receive memorable messages. Message content was coded into seven different themes (health, appearance, weight, warnings, body’s ability, encouragement and fitness). This study hypothesized that there will be messages containing body positivity. This study added to memorable message research by finding that there were memorable messages containing body positivity. Keywords: memorable messages, source, channel, body positivity
Investigation of Influences on Code Switching Behaviors of African American Men
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Rivera, Anne; Aune, R. Kelly; Communicology
We use language to categorize ourselves and others into groups. Individuals can modify their language use in order to impact how others categorize them thus influencing communication. Communication can become impacted as individuals code switch between one or more languages or language varieties. Code switching is influenced by numerous factors, such as the rules and norms that guide how language is used and the context in which the interaction occurs. Additionally, code switching may be used to better represent an individual’s ingroup membership, show distinctiveness from the outgroup (or ingroup), and/or to convey specific relational messages. The studying of African American men’s code switching behavior has been limited. Therefore, this study examined the influence of language and conflict on African American men’s code switching between African American English (AAE) and Standardized American English (SAE). These language varieties not only have rich sociohistorical contexts that still influence modern society, but also the perceptions and use of these language variations have been shown to impact communication. Hypotheses were tested that predicted African American men reporting greater overall preference for AAE relative to SAE (H1); greater preference for AAE than SAE in non-conflict provoking scenarios relative to conflict provoking scenarios (H2) and greater preference for AAE relative to SAE in scenarios in which AAE is the initial language used (H3). Additionally, this study addressed a research question examining the influence relational motives may have on preferences for AAE and SAE. Hypotheses did not find support, however findings from H3 and RQ were significant. Findings indicated that African American men’s code switching behavior is influenced by the linguistic code used during an interaction. When interacting with another African American man, African American men prefer to use the opposite code of the speaker. Additionally, findings suggest that the relational motive in African American men’s preferences for AAE or SAE was dominance. Results from this study highlight how code switching between AAE and SAE in the African American community relates to identity, is influenced by intended relational motives, and is impacted by the initial language used by interlocutors.
Communicating Hawaiian Identity: Understanding Cultural Identity Through Themes in Family Narratives
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Burgess, Sanoe K.; Ebesu Hubbard, Amy; Communicology
Cultural identities play a substantial role in our behaviors, relationships, and communities. Approaches to understanding cultural identity include concepts such as physical appearance, blood quantum, and acculturation. Another concept that is known to impact cultural identity formation and maintenance is family narrative. Hawaiian cultural identity is a topic commonly discussed and debated among scholars. However, research exploring family narratives and Hawaiian cultural identity is limited. Using a qualitative semi-structured interview method, information on memorable family stories among a group of 21 Native Hawaiians were gathered. A total of seven themes that assist in the transmission of Hawaiian cultural identity including Kuleana, Aloha, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Mahalo, Mea kalakupua, Koko, and Kapu were identified within memorable family narratives. The Mahalo theme was associated with differences in reported cultural affiliation. Results reinforce the importance of sharing moʻolelo in families and offer storytelling as an additional approach to understanding Hawaiian cultural affiliation. Keywords: Cultural identity, Hawaiian, family, narratives
The Performer-Audience Relationship During Live and Remote Musical Performances
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2019) Bergeman, Brittany Kay Miller; Aune, R. Kelly; Communicology
This study assesses audience engagement and entrainment with, and enjoyment of musical performances across different types of mediation. Using message processing as a framework to guide the study, it was predicted that audience members viewing a live performance will report higher levels of engagement and entrainment with, and enjoyment of a performance than audience members that view a remote audience-centered performance who in turn will report higher levels of the factors than remote audience members viewing a performance production. To test the hypotheses, participants viewed a musical performance of a barbershop quartet in one of the three experimental conditions and self-reported their engagement and entrainment with, and enjoyment of the performance. For the first hypothesis, the hypothesized linear effect was found; however, a significant quadratic effect suggested that the results may have been curvilinear in nature as well. The test of the second hypothesis concerning entrainment showed no significance. The discussion addressed methodological concerns that may have influenced the results, and identified limitations that should be investigated in future research.
Reflecting On Life While Confronting Mortality: How The Fear Of Death Influences Forgiveness
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2019) Vila, Giovanni Garrett Onnagan; Hubbard, Amy S. E.; Communicology
Terror management scholars proposed people’s attitudes, actions, and behaviors are driven by the anxiety associated with the awareness of death. Much evidence currently supports the notion that people act defensively and are less tolerant of others when they are reminded of death. But this might have been due to the narrow way that terror management researchers have typically primed people to think about death in their studies. The present study compared two different death reminder procedures on people’s willingness to forgive and to accept an apology. This study found that people who were reminded of death by a typical death reminder priming were more unwilling to forgive and more unwilling to accept an apology than people reminded of death by a death reminder priming that also involved thinking of others. Results of this study provided evidence that some reminders of death can prompt people to act less defensively and that the way thoughts of death are evoked matters.
The Role of Anticipated Inaction Regret and Future Work Selves in College Students’ Information Seeking: Extending the Theory of Motivated Information Management
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2019) Chi, Jeanna; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
Career counselors are valuable resources for college students who are seeking information related to their future career options. Additionally, college students may weigh specific benefits and costs of seeking information prior to deciding on an information seeking strategy. This study used the theory of motivated information management (TMIM) as a framework to examine predictions about college student’s information seeking strategies when they are uncertain about their future career options. This study extends the TMIM by introducing and testing two new types of outcome expectancies: anticipated inaction regret and future work selves. Furthermore, this study adds to the growing body of literature that applies the TMIM to non-interpersonal contexts. With cross-sectional survey data from 194 undergraduate college students, this study’s results show that the two new types of outcome expectancies generally functioned within the TMIM framework as TMIM predicts for outcome expectancies. Additionally, TMIM generally worked as a model for predicting college students’ information seeking. The study found that an uncertainty discrepancy predicted negative affect, both positive and negative affect predicted anticipated inaction regret and future work selves, future work selves predicted efficacy, anticipated inaction regret and efficacy directly predicted information seeking, and anticipated inaction regret indirectly affected information seeking via target efficacy. Theoretical implications for the TMIM framework and practical implications related to career counselors who services to college students are discussed.
Trust me! Examining how group membership and self-disclosure affects trust perceptions between strangers
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2019) Casale, Robert; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
In this study, group membership and self-disclosure intimacy were manipulated to examine if they impacted participants’ perceptions of trust in a stranger. It was hypothesized that ingroup strangers and intimate self-disclosers would garner more trust and be more likely to receive a reciprocal self-disclosure than outgroup strangers and those who did not self-disclose intimately. In an experiment, participants (n = 184) were asked to report their perceptions of a stranger they read about in two contexts where group membership was determined by either geographic origin or age. Findings showed that ingroup intimate self-disclosers elicited significantly more trust when compared to ingroup non-intimate self-disclosers. When geographic origin was the criterion for group membership, ingroup intimate self-disclosers were more likely than non-intimate self-disclosers to receive a reciprocal self-disclosure. Also, when age was the criterion for group membership, ingroup intimate self-disclosers received significantly more intimate reciprocal self-disclosures than outgroup members or non-intimate self-disclosers. These findings support the idea that group membership and self-disclosure intimacy can impact perceptions of trust in and communicative behaviors towards others.
Common Ingroup Identity Model: An intersectional Perspective
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2019) Belon, Jennifer R.; Kim, Min-Sun; Communicology
This thesis examined whether the Common Ingroup Identity Model (CIIM) is effective at reducing intergroup bias and tension among White females in imagined working relationships with Black females in the U.S. To date, quantitative research on this issue has not been studied from the perspective of both race and gender identity. This is the one of the first studies to investigate intergroup anxiety and its effects, from this intersectional perspective. It was predicted that a common ingroup identity would effectively reduce intergroup anxiety, bias and negative outgroup attitudes experienced by White females in imagined working relationships with Black Females. The current results were not found to be statistically significant. However, focusing on the pattern of mean differences, the opposite trends were found with White females in the superordinate condition reporting the highest levels of intergroup anxiety, bias, and negative outgroup attitudes. Theoretical and practical implication are discussed with respect to future research and interventions.
The Influence Of Negative Life Events On Young Adults’ Subjective Aging And Communication
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-12) Yeh, Dori Mercy; Gasiorek, Jessica; Communicology
This thesis examined the language use of young adults who may feel subjectively older as a result of experiencing negative life events (NLE). Previous research has found that experiencing NLE as a young adult can accelerate a person’s subjective age (SA). Young adults who have experienced unfortunate circumstances in their lives may feel a discrepancy between their SA and their chronological age. Due to this discrepancy, young adults who feel older may communicate differently. I predicted that young adults’ SA would have an influence on their language use. Results showed that the older young adults feel in terms of their emotional maturity and social skills, the fewer negative emotion words they use. Additionally, the older young adults feel in terms of their knowledge, the fewer first-person pronouns they use. Findings from this study reveals that feeling subjectively older has some influence on young adults’ language use when discussing their NLE.
Television Viewers' Exposure to Crime Shows and their Knowledge of Constitutional Rights
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-08) Smith, Katelyn N.; Communicology
This study looked at the amount of crime television a person watches, his/her knowledge of their constitutional rights, and the confidence a person has in that knowledge. Implicit learning and cultivation theory were used to predict that as the amount of crime television watched increased, so would knowledge and confidence levels. The sample consisted of 187 university aged students. Participants reported how much crime television they watched, then took a test about civil rights knowledge. Participants also indicated how confident they were about each of their answers on this test. Results showed there was a significant, positive correlation between crime television viewing and constitutional rights knowledge. Results also showed a marginally significant, positive correlation between crime show viewing and respondents’ confidence in their constitutional rights knowledge; although, this relationship disappeared after controlling for knowledge. Results are consistent with both implicit learning and cultivation effects.
Netflix and Chilling: Binge-Watching Behaviors and the Cultivation Effects of Horror Television Shows
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-08) Humphries, Sheana J. K. Y.; Communicology
This study investigates various elements of cultivation theory on television viewing behaviors in different time compression formats. Colloquially known as “binge-watching,” viewing several episodes of a television show, back-to-back, is becoming more prominent with entire series readily available on any mobile device. However, research on the cultivation effects associated with time compression on television viewing behaviors is sparse, with most knowledge focused on the influence of total viewing time and exposure to various genres. This study expands work on cultivation theory by analyzing both the amount of viewing and the time frame in which the viewing occurred, specifically examining horror genre television shows and the different first-order and second-order effects that may be cultivated. This investigation found some evidence for the relationship between the number of hours spent watching horror shows and first-order effects. Additionally, there were some differences between viewing horror shows in a compressed versus non-compressed format on first-order effects. However, there was no significant relationship between number of hours spent watching horror shows and second-order effects and no significant difference between compressed and non-compressed viewing of horror shows on second order effects.
Mountains, Rivers & Waterfalls: Nature's Effect on Communicating Negative Emotions
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-05) Duron Delfin, Florencia; Communicology
Communicating emotions is essential to maintain relationships and to strengthen social bonds. Using an experiment, this study examined if the exposure to scenes of nature increases one’s level of positive emotions, decreases the level of negative emotions, and affects one’s degree of emotion sharing. Women watched either a video of dense vegetation and water (i.e., exposure to nature) or a video of traffic, and the interior of shopping malls and train stations (i.e., exposure to city). Immediately after watching the video, all participants reported how they felt and were asked to write about a painful experience that happened to them recently and their feelings about it. Results show that those who were exposed to nature reported feeling significantly happier, less angry and less fearful compared to those who were exposed to the city. Furthermore, women exposed to nature showed a significant tendency to be more expressive than the women exposed to the city. Those exposed to nature wrote significantly more consequences associated with the event and expressed more pain compared to those who were exposed to the city. Lastly, the odds of suppressing words of anger were 3.8 greater when subjects were exposed to the city than when they were exposed to nature. These results support the hypothesis that exposure to nature promotes emotion sharing by affecting mood. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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