The Nearsightedness of Media Spectacles: Measuring Appraisals of Aggression through Psychological Distance

As media increases in usage there comes a need for increased research into how media affects psychological thoughts and feelings. This research investigated the factors that influence our perception of aggression in social situations, and how these perceptions change in mediated interaction contexts. This current research examines the evaluation of aggressive action and the particular factors which influence these appraisals under the theoretical framework of the Construal Level Theory of Psychological Distance. We investigated the effects of three factors influencing hostile appraisals: psychological distance, hostile attribution bias, and whether or not the interaction is mediated. We used short vignettes of an aggressive situation in which participants rated the aggression of, manipulating the psychological distance (close or far) and mediation (in the news or face-to-face) to create four conditions. We found no significant differences in appraisals of aggression by condition, a finding incongruent with our hypotheses. We discuss the implications of this finding and the possible reasons for its occurrence