Russell B Clayton

• PhD, University of Missouri
• Professor (Associate) at Florida State University

This study tested Psychological Reactance Theory and the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing by examining participants’ (N = 155 young adult, ever-vapers) cognitive and affective responses to anti-vaping public service announcements (PSAs) featuring dogmatic or suggestive language. Ever-vapers in the dogmatic PSA conditi...

This study incorporated the dual-motivational theory with psychological reactance theory to investigate the cognitive and emotional responses that unfold when audience members encounter a freedom-threatening message and experience psychological reactance. A total of 100 college-aged, daily e-cigarette users were purposively recruited and randomly a...

Research published by Richards and Banas and Richards et al. demonstrated that an inoculation treatment given to participants prior to their exposure to a series of freedom-threatening persuasive health messages mitigates audiences' freedom-threat perceptions, state psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions. We sought to conceptually repli...

This chapter provides an overview of perspectives on how the “old brain” affectively and physiologically responds to “new” digital media. A summary of the dominant theories of emotion involved in studying psychophysiological responses to media is presented including the dimensional perspective of emotion followed by the notion of biological motivat...

Psychological reactance is an aversive motivational state comprising both anger and negative cognitions following a perceived threat to freedom. This study revisited the cognitive component of psychological reactance by examining multiple forms of cognitive resistance via the avoidance, contesting, and empowering (ACE) resistance typology. An indep...

Guilt is a widely used emotional appeal in environmental sustainability and other advocacy messages. However, unintended negative effects such as psychological reactance, where individuals resist or reject the message, have been identified, and scholars have recently suggested strategies to mitigate those effects. Using an experimental design, the...

Health communication scholars have provided ample evidence demonstrating the ways in which freedom-threatening language used in persuasive health messages evokes freedom-threat perceptions, state psychological reactance, and intentions to engage in behaviors opposite of those recommended by the health message. This study examined a novel mitigatio...

This study experimentally investigated the effect of dogmatic and suggestive language in Christian-sourced excessive alcohol consumption messages among college-aged participants who identify as Christians or non-Christians, as well as the role of perceived similarity with the message source, on their self-reported freedom-threat, psychological reac...

Previous health communication research has demonstrated the negative psychological and health effects of depicting thin-sized models in mass media advertisements including on social media sites such as Instagram. However, gym advertisements are one common source for the presentation of lean and thin-sized models on Instagram. Therefore, the current...

This edited volume examines the ways in which rapidly changing technologies and patterns of media use influence, and are influenced by, our emotional experiences. Following introductory chapters outlining common conceptual frameworks used in the study of emotion and digital media effects, this book is then organized around four general areas highli...

This book review is temporarily under embargo.

Health communication researchers and practitioners have utilized a variety of appeals to arouse negatively valenced emotions such as disgust, guilt, and anger, with the goals of motivating audience members to adopt message claims, alter attitudes, and promote healthy behaviors. Thus, health communication and emotion scholars must understand the imp...

With the evolving normalcy of sharing personal information online and utilizing communication technology as a means to talk to other users, more research is required concerning the impact of social media on romantic relationship health and stability. This study uses the systemic- transactional model of dyadic coping to assess the association betwee...

The conditions under which social media use impacts well-being and mental health are complex. The current 10-day longitudinal quasi-experiment (student sample, N = 111) applied an entertainment theory lens to explore the effects of active posting and engaging with hedonic or inspiring Facebook content (vs. passive browsing) on young people’s eudaim...

The social facilitation of eating plays a significant role in influencing individuals’ eating decisions. However, how social eating cues are processed in health promotion messages is unclear. This study examined individuals’ food craving in response to social cues in images (Experiment 1) and emotional experiences, perceived threat, perceived effic...

To counter the negative effects of viewing unrealistically thin and attractive models in beauty and fashion advertisements, some companies depict women with larger bodies in their advertisement campaigns. Previous experimental evidence suggests women may feel more satisfied with their own bodies immediately after viewing advertisements featuring th...

Self-transcendent media experiences are thought to involve cognitive engagement and mixed affect, leading to psychological well-being. The current study investigated whether these characteristics were reflected in viewers’ psychophysiological responses and sharing intentions. Multilevel model analyses revealed that viewers (n = 57) allocated more c...

As visual social mediums, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Instagram have been examined under the theoretical lenses of social comparison theory and self-discrepancy theory. Guided by self-discrepancy theory and recent work on romantic relationship outcomes and social media usage, this study examined the relationship between the...

Exposure to music has been found to evoke temporal comparisons and reminiscing processes. However, little yet is known about how temporal comparisons and reminiscing influence cognitive processing of music and subsequent radio advertisements. The current study expands this research by examining how young adults cognitively process familiar and unfa...

The Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) aims to understand message processing dynamics. Despite 20 years of research, no meta-analysis has assessed LC4MP effects. We conducted a meta-analysis of the model to examine three theoretical research domains in the LC4MP: cognitive load, motivation, and memory. Results f...

Extensive research demonstrates that exposure to threatening anti-tobacco messages can lead to defensive message processing which reduces message effectiveness. However, research investigating whether this effect is moderated by the smoking status of the message viewer is lacking. In this study, participants (N=48 smokers and N=51 non-smokers) view...

This study tests the hypothesis that defensive message processing, like defensive behaviors in the real world, has two directions, fight-and-flight. The Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing (LC4MP) characterizes defensive message processing by increases in unpleasantness and arousal reports, and accelerated heart rate ind...

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are increasingly popular, especially among young adults. Many ENDS advertisements and anti-ENDS public service announcements (PSAs) contain portrayals of ENDS use and visible vapor. Though it is plausible that vapor would be processed in similar ways to traditional combustible cigarette smoking cues, this...

The bulk of mass media and substance cue research has examined the processes and effects of substance cue images in isolation under controlled experimental conditions. However, little attention has been devoted to delineating the specific outcomes associated with simultaneous polysubstance depictions. This study experimentally examined whether alco...

A 2 x 2 experiment was conducted, where participants watched anti-tobacco messages that varied in deception (content portraying tobacco companies as dishonest) and disgust (negative graphic images) content. Psychophysiological measures, self-report, and a recognition test were used to test hypotheses generated from the motivated cognition framework...

Brand logo design has been extensively studied, yet little research has tapped into visual complexity and how it influences aesthetic preference for logo design. Past research proposed three major models explaining visual complexity (the one-, two-, and three-factor model). However, which model best explains preference for logo design complexity ha...

Similar to effects identified with traditional media forms, recent evidence indicates that body image concerns, such as body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, may also be associated with exposure to images on Social Networking Sites. Utilizing social comparison theory, the current study sought to examine the relationship between female univer...

This study experimentally examines the effect of smoking cues and disgust images commonly found in anti-tobacco advertisements on tobacco smokers’ message processing. In a 2 (smoking cues) × 2 (disgust) within-subjects experiment, smokers watched anti-tobacco advertisements selected to vary in presence/absence of smoking cues and high/low ratings o...

During individual laboratory sessions, 49 women with an actual-ideal self-discrepancy randomly viewed 12 images of media fashion models varying in body types. Heart rate was recorded during image exposure. Self-report social comparisons and body satisfaction were measured following exposure to each image. A visual recognition test was administer...

The measurement of an individual’s heart rate has many relevant theoretical implications for communication research. However, there are reasons to believe that the most common way of reporting cardiac response—beats per minute (BPM)—might not be appropriate for all methodological situations. This article presents an overview of the historical use o...

There is a lack of research examining whether smoking cues in anti-tobacco advertisements elicit cravings, or whether this effect is moderated by countervailing message attributes, such as disgusting images. Further, no research has examined how these types of messages influence nicotine withdrawn smokers’ cognitive processing and associated behavi...

Our objective was to provide empirically supported guidelines and templates for the design of tip cards and other public service transportation materials to educate aging road users on traffic control devices. Task 1 identified relevant theories and data concerning the design of public service materials. We used this literature review to provide gu...

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors and consequences associated with Instagram selfie posting. Thus, this study explored whether body image satisfaction predicts Instagram selfie posting and whether Instagram selfie posting is then associated with Instagram-related conflict and negative romantic relationship outcomes. A total of...

The purpose of this study was to investigate how rotoscope animation impacts cognitive and emotional processing of depression drug ads. A 2 (animation) x 2 (position of tone) x 4 (message) experiment was conducted. Participants (N=100) viewed 4, 90-s messages. STRTs (secondary task reaction times) and self-report of emotional responses were collect...

This study uniquely examined the impacts on self, cognition, anxiety, and physiology when iPhone users are unable to answer their iPhone while performing cognitive tasks. A 2 x 2 within-subjects experiment was conducted. Participants (N = 40 iPhone users) completed two word search puzzles. Among the key findings from this study were that when iPhon...

The purpose of this study was to examine how social networking site (SNS) use, specifically Twitter use, influences negative interpersonal relationship outcomes. This study specifically examined the mediational effect of Twitter-related conflict on the relationship between active Twitter use and negative relationship outcomes, and how this mechanis...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between using the social networking site known as Facebook and negative interpersonal relationship outcomes. A survey of 205 Facebook users aged 18-82 was conducted using a 16-question online survey to examine whether high levels of Facebook use predicted negative relationship out...

This study investigates the relationships between loneliness, anxiousness, alcohol, and marijuana use in the prediction of freshman college students’ connections with others on the social network site Facebook as well as their emotional connectedness to Facebook. A survey of 229 respondents was conducted at a mid-sized public university to examine...