21st Century media effects: choice, predispositions, and their impact on agenda setting and priming.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2009. Major: Political Science. Advisor: Professor John L. Sullivan. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 211 pages, appendices 1-3.In the past 25 years, we have seen a massive shift to communication technologies that allow increased choice of content for citizens. Using an experiment, this study explores the relationship between individual differences, increased choice, and media effects such as agenda setting and priming. It finds that increased choice greatly attenuates both attention to political news and subsequent priming and framing effects