Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Park, Youngrak
URN	etd-04142008-115846
Title	The Effect of Media Interactivity on Mood Regulation: An Experimental Study
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Communication, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Arthur A. Raney Committee Chair Gary R. Heald Committee Member Steven McClung Committee Member Susan Losh Committee Member
Keywords	Enjoyment Media Effect Video Game Mood Management Mood Interactivity
Date of Defense	2007-12-13
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The purposes of the study were to examine the potential of video games as mood changing tools, and to compare the effects of interactive media to mood and enjoyment with those of traditional media. Mood management theory was employed as a theoretical framework. Specifically, since interactive media require more cognitive intervention, this dissertation predicted 1) video games would enhance mood among members of the bad mood condition better than members of the good mood condition, and 2) video game would be more effective than DVD clips to change bad mood. A factorial design with two mood conditions (good vs. bad), media condition (video game vs. DVD clip) and time (pre- vs. post-media exposure) was employed to examine the predictions. The sample was recruited from large-lecture classes in the Department of Communication at FSU. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. It was found that video games were effective in changing mood. Specifically, consistent with mood management assumptions, members of the bad mood group reported greater positive mood increase and negative mood decrease than members of the good mood group. In a cross-medium setting, the expected mood and media interaction effect was not observed. However, when video game skill was used as one of the factors, mood management expectations were partially supported. Specifically, video game players increased their positive mood greater than DVD clip viewers, only when their video game skill was highly competent. Based on these results, this dissertation concludes that 1) video games are media that can be considered as possible mood enhancers, 2) although media interactivity is often defined as the amount of technological features a medium provides, perceived interactivity may better explain the effect of interactivity on media users’ affective, cognitive and behavioral responses, 3) video game skill or familiarity with the game is a significant predictor of mood enhancement and enjoyment among video game players, 4) the intervention potential of a media message or a media type is a significant predictor of enjoyment in cross-medium comparison setting, and 5) enjoyment is obtained when positive factor of mood increased.
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