Don’t Expect Too Much! Learning From Late-Night Comedy and Knowledge Item Difficulty
The debate on late night comedy has been inconclusive, with some scholars arguing that this genre increases political knowledge, and others seeing late night comedy as harmful to effective citizenry. We add to the debate and to the research on media effects more generally, by proposing a model that...
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Published in | Communication research Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 783 - 809 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Los Angeles, CA
SAGE Publications
01.12.2009
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The debate on late night comedy has been inconclusive, with some scholars arguing that this genre increases political knowledge, and others seeing late night comedy as harmful to effective citizenry. We add to the debate and to the research on media effects more generally, by proposing a model that measures political knowledge. The model utilizes item response theory (IRT) to account for individual characteristics, knowledge item difficulty, and response format that influences the likelihood of providing a correct response. Drawing on the 2004 National Annenberg Election Study, we employ this model to test knowledge gain from late night comedy. Using a meta-analysis across 35 political knowledge items, we show that late night comedy increases knowledge, but primarily on easy political items that have fewer correct response options, and mainly among the inattentive citizens. We discuss theoretical implications and provide practical suggestions for scholarship on media effects. |
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ISSN: | 0093-6502 1552-3810 |
DOI: | 10.1177/0093650209346805 |