Negatively Valenced and High-Arousal News Headlines Drive Preferential Evidence Accumulation and Influence Selection Behavior

Washington, DC · May 2025

Poster · Cognitive

Rachael Kee
University of California, Davis
Xuanjun Gong
Texas A&M University
Ezgi Ulusoy
Michigan State University
Elizabeth Riggs
College of Chaleston
Ziyu Zhao
University of California, Davis
Jason Coronel
The Ohio State University
Allison Eden
Michigan State University
Amber Boydstun
University of California, Davis
Richard Huskey
University of California, Davis

Abstract

Through five studies, including computational modeling and fMRI, we investigated the negativity bias in news selection through a value-based decision-making framework. We found that negatively valenced, high-arousal news headlines drive preferential evidence accumualtion. Results highlight effects of both political ideology and age on the negativity bias.

Implicit Bias

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Negatively Valenced and High-Arousal News Headlines Drive Preferential Evidence Accumulation and Influence Selection Behavior

Abstract

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