Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Communication

Guided by the mediated wisdom of experience and Fisch's capacity model, two studies explore the developmental trajectory of children's mixed emotional responses to eudaimonic entertainment and subsequent outcomes. Study one (n = 449) employed a retrospective survey to collect information about parents' and children's prior experiences watching eudaimonic media. Portrayals of death or injury and human connection were the most common eudaimonic content viewed. Parents reported that children asked questions related to plot clarification and emotional responses. Study two (n = 230) recruited parent and child (ages 8 – 12) dyads for an online experiment. Dyads were randomly assigned to view a movie clip (eudaimonic content: high vs. low) and discussion (conversation prompts: high quality vs. low quality). Children in the high eudaimonic video condition (57.1%) were more likely to experience mixed emotions than children in the low eudaimonic condition (28%). No effects were found on emotional range or delayed gratification. Although age did not interact with the eudaimonic clip on emotional responses or narrative comprehension or emotional responses, girls (68%) reported greater mixed emotions than boys (47%). Theoretical implications are discussed.

Committee: James Bonus (Committee Chair); Michael Slater (Committee Member); Emily Moyer-Guse (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Developmental Psychology; Mass Media

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2019, Mass Communication (Communication)

All else being equal, are games with a complex task resolution system more fun than those without? This mixed methods control experiment sought to resolve that. 46 individuals were recruited from environments with higher than average board game knowledge (a pop culture convention and a university video game research lab) and played a two-player board game. One group of participants played a game with a single step resolution mechanic while the other played a game with a multi-step resolution mechanic. Quantitative results indicate that there were no statistically significant differences in player enjoyment or complexity between these two versions. In qualitative survey results taken after the subjects were exposed to the other variant and the purpose of the study was made clear the participants indicated a strong preference for the multi-step variant. From this we conclude 1) Participants did not perceive added steps (procedural complexity) as complexity, 2) Participants may consider “complex” games and mechanics to be more virtuous or desirable than “simple” ones, and 3) Frequent game players did not have significantly different reactions to games of varying complexities than non-frequent.

Committee: Greg Newton (Committee Chair); Drew McDaniel (Committee Member); John Bowditch (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Communication; Mass Media