Papers by Kenneth Lachlan
Communication Education, Feb 10, 2023
Communication Education, Aug 2, 2021
ABSTRACT Although applied to numerous communication contexts, affordance approaches have yet to r... more ABSTRACT Although applied to numerous communication contexts, affordance approaches have yet to receive sustained attention in the instructional literature. The ongoing migration to online pedagogy suggests a need to examine the impact of technological affordances and communication in Learning Management Systems. To that end, an experimental study investigated the responses of undergraduate students to a course management page, in which the presence or absence of peer identity and the helper heuristic on evaluations of fellow students were manipulated. The results suggest that the helper heuristic—but not identity cues—positively impacted perceptions of source credibility, attractiveness, perceptions of an assignment-related message, and student rapport. Findings are discussed in terms of both theoretical and instructional relevance.
Progress in disaster science, 2021
As an extension of a prior research, the current study examines the relationships among source pr... more As an extension of a prior research, the current study examines the relationships among source preferences, need for cognition, information seeking, and protective actions during the COVID-19 pandemic Results derived from a nationally representative sample of American respondents suggest trait need for cognition is not a significant predictor of source preferences, mitigation behaviors, or specific risk perceptions However, those with higher need for cognition, and those who were more reliant on television and internet media felt an elevated sense of overall risk Individuals who collected information from radio, social media, and interpersonal interactions expressed higher levels of specific risk probability, while those reliant on television and websites reported higher levels of general risk perceptions and more mitigation behaviors Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed © 2021 The Author(s)
Computers in Human Behavior, Dec 1, 2016
As noted by Seeger (2006) the notion of best practices is often use to improve professional pract... more As noted by Seeger (2006) the notion of best practices is often use to improve professional practice; to create research and functional recommendations to use in a specific situation. This essay describes best practices in crisis communication specifically through the use of social media. It provides suggestions and approaches for improving the effectiveness of crisis communication and learning with and between organizations, governments and citizens. Seven best practices for effective crisis communication using social media are outlined.
Journal of Emergency Management, Jul 1, 2022
Journal of strategic innovation and sustainability, Mar 11, 2019
The Southern Communication Journal, May 26, 2020
ABSTRACT User-generated content is common feature of news websites. Individuals use these feature... more ABSTRACT User-generated content is common feature of news websites. Individuals use these features to express thoughts, opinions, and suggestions about news stories. Previous research suggests an impact of identity and helper heuristics on specific outcomes in user-generated contributions in online news commenting forums. The current research sought to extend previous research to specifically examining agency cues and information in online heuristic processing. Results suggest that being helpful in computer-mediated contexts results in several positive perceptions for the helpful agent, more so than providing ambiguous cues about the identity of the user posting the content. The findings help establish conditions under which agency affordances positively impact perceptions and have direct implications for the MAIN model.
Progress in disaster science, Oct 1, 2020
Weather, Climate, and Society, Sep 18, 2018
Computers in Human Behavior, Dec 1, 2016
Although recent research suggests that Twitter and other forms of micro-blogging are becoming inc... more Although recent research suggests that Twitter and other forms of micro-blogging are becoming increasingly relied upon by both the public and response agencies dealing with crises and disasters, little is known about how these dynamics may play out in a non-Western context. The current study examines the use of the Chinese Weibo service during a 2013 smog emergency, and compares user generated content to that found in earlier data concerning a weather event in North America. The results indicate that by way of comparison, the Weibo sample contained proportionately similar degrees of informative and affective content, but that users were less likely to use humor and showed no increase in affective outpouring as the crisis developed. Results are discussed in terms of implications for those designing social media campaigns for informing and motivating those affected by large-scale weather-related crises.
Journal of Emergency Management, 2021
The current study analyzes information-seeking tendencies, preparation, and mitigation behavior a... more The current study analyzes information-seeking tendencies, preparation, and mitigation behavior among those impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire in California. Similar to previous work, results suggest that socioeconomic status was a strong positive predictor of having an emergency kit and evacuation plan in place. The internet and television were the two preferred sources of information, while the relative lack of importance of radio, interpersonal communication, and social media runs counter to past research in the area. Implications for emergency management are discussed.
Traumatology, Mar 1, 2010
Breakdowns in infrastructure can cause both physical and psychological harm. Examining the coping... more Breakdowns in infrastructure can cause both physical and psychological harm. Examining the coping strategies of individuals and the subsequent results of those strategies can aid recovery workers and inform emergency practitioners on how to prepare to meet the needs of the general population in such an event. Following the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a self-report questionnaire was used to address the emotional state and coping behaviors of local residents. Consistent with prior work indicating that individuals respond to crisis-related stress with information seeking and other behaviors, the present study found that emotional distress in the period immediately following the collapse was related to the endorsement of a number of coping strategies. Furthermore, women reported experiencing higher levels of psychological distress than men and endorsed thinking and seeking information about the event more than men. Regardless of gender, thinking about the crisis was associated with a decrease in feelings of fright between the initial period after the crisis and several days after the event.
International journal of mass emergencies and disasters, Mar 1, 2016
University campuses present unique challenges for crisis communication practitioners, especially ... more University campuses present unique challenges for crisis communication practitioners, especially in the aftermath of violent crimes and other major safety and public relations incidents. In the aftermath of a recent campus shooting, students were surveyed to determine the speed of information dissemination, the relationship between primary information sources and message speed, and the impact that message speed had on subsequent perceptions of campus safety and the university as a whole. Those informed by personalized media learned of the shooting sooner and formed more favorable opinions about the university. The findings have implications for emergency planners and crisis communication practitioners.
Western Journal of Communication, Apr 23, 2019
Exemplification theory postulates that iconic, emotional, and arousing depictions are potent in i... more Exemplification theory postulates that iconic, emotional, and arousing depictions are potent in impacting judgments and impression formation. Previous research has examined how exemplification processes manifest in user comments after news stories, and impact subsequent judgments. Less is known about the effectiveness of responding to user comments. Two studies were conducted to examine how exemplified accounts in user comments to a news story may influence audience perceptions and the effectiveness of responding to those comments by organizational actors. Respondents reported their perceptions of organizational reputation and other measures after viewing different manipulations of a news story. Findings are largely consistent with exemplification theory and highlight the ability of organizations to reduce those effects through responding to user-generated content.
Routledge eBooks, Jun 27, 2017
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Papers by Kenneth Lachlan