Forced Exposure vs. Free Choice: An Examination of Exposure Effects in Entertainment Television Consumption

Abstract

This article examines the influence of exposure setting on mood states and enjoyment of entertainment media. In two studies, participants watched one of eight possible programs for viewing and reported their affective states after watching the program. In the first study, participants (N = 189) were forced to watch one of the programs. In the second study, participants (N = 294) were able to freely choose one of the eight programs for viewing. Those able to freely choose content experienced more enjoyment than those who were forced to view content. Regarding effects of program type, those who viewed scripted programs experienced slightly stronger positive mood and more enjoyment than those who viewed reality programs. Findings are discussed in terms of selective exposure, mood management, and psychological reactance.

Keywords:

• Enjoyment
• Methodology
• Mood Management
• Psychological Reactance
• Selective Exposure

Notes

^[1] Additional data from the free choice study have been used to analyze social comparison-related emotional responses to characters featured in the reality and scripted television programs, but these results have not yet been published. The hypotheses of that effort are specifically centered on the emotions associated with directional social comparisons and the relationship between those social comparison-related emotional responses and enjoyment. The analyses for each effort are unique, and a list of the measures used for each manuscript is provided at https://osf.io/8vkm4/.