Media message processing and the embodied mind: Measuring bodily responses to open the black box

摘要: This chapter critically reviews research which uses physiological and behavioral measures as covert, real‐time measures of motivated cognitive processing. It is written from the common perspective in psychophysiological research that the mind is an embodied organ and therefore is sustained by the body. As a result, things which occur in the mind can be “seen” in the body. Thinking, feeling, and being are all dependent on the continuous electrical, chemical, and biological functioning of the brain. As the amount of thinking and feeling varies, so do the metabolic demands of the brain. As those metabolic demands vary, so does the autonomic functioning of the body. Careful measurement of bodily responses in controlled contexts can yield fine‐grained information about thinking and feeling. Recent research has applied these measures to the problem of understanding media psychology. This chapter will discuss …