Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The number of small and mobile screen being used for entertainment is growing daily. This paper presents the findings of a series of studies exploring the impact of smaller video format, specifically the Apple iPod, on audience responses. Two experiments were conducted with participants being exposed to one of two presentations on either an iPod or on a 32-inch television. Participants saw either a 10-minute fast-paced (multiple cut) action sequence or a 10-minute slow-paced (long cut) conversation sequence from a feature length motion picture. The two experiments each had a 2 x 2 design examining differences in immersion, spatial presence and social realism dimensions of presence. While previous research suggests that larger format presentations should generally result in higher levels of presence, experiment one found that subjects viewing the iPod reported higher levels of immersion. In experiment two, participants reported higher levels of spatial presence and social realism. The results suggest that sound merits further investigation and arguably should be included in all experiments with audio/visual stimuli. Implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Scholars have begun the daunting enterprise of understanding the role of mobile communication media in contemporary culture. In this analysis, I am entering this conversation with an eye toward the cultural implications of ubiquitous and mobile media screens for the “everyday” experiences of movement and time. As media screens enter virtually every facet of routinized and quotidian life (e.g., home life, work life, leisure), we are witnessing the unusual blending or converging of cultural processes.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed

Publication Type: Invited Paper

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Prior research suggests that television screen size affects a variety of viewer responses, including arousal level. The present study attempts to replicate these findings for participants viewing violent content, and demonstrates some potential consequences of a heightened arousal level. Participants were exposed to violent television programs on a small-, medium-, or large-screen television. Arousal was measured with both self-report measures and heart rate. Results showed that heart rate was lowest when participants viewed violence on a small or large screen. Furthermore, participants viewing on a small screen were able to most accurately judge the number of people hit by bullets in the program. These findings are used to argue that heart rate is a measure of parasympathetic arousal, or attention. It was also found that heightened arousal transferred to a secondary stimulus, increasing participants’ positive attitudes toward a proposal for highway construction. The findings are discussed in terms of the limited capacity approach to information processing and excitation transfer theory.