Affect-Dependent Theory of Stimulus Arrangements

Based on the core assumption that individuals are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain, the affect-dependent theory of stimulus arrangements of Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant can be applied to many communication contexts. However, in practice, applications of the theory have been used to explain how and why individuals choose particular media content when faced with numerous alternatives. In our world of abundant, if not excessive, media options, the theory provides a parsimonious account of media choice based on individuals' moods and emotional states. This entry describes fundamental assumptions, identifies four key predictor variables, and briefly notes recent theoretical developments.

The idea that individuals are hedonists forms the foundation of the affect-dependent theory of stimulus arrangements. This means that individuals will [Page 23]actively arrange their surroundings in such a way that minimizes exposure to unpleasant stimuli while maximizing exposure to positive stimuli. The theory further assumes that individuals learn through a process of operant conditioning the types of environmental stimuli that best aid in accomplishing this hedonistic objective. In other words, people come to associate exposure to mediated communication, particularly entertainment media, with positive outcomes—either relief from negative moods and other unpleasant stimuli or the enhancement of pleasurable experiences. The theory is broad enough, however, to allow that nonmediated experiences can also serve the hedonistic objective.

Research evidence in support of the theory relies mainly on preferences for entertainment media as the dependent variable and the initial emotional state of individuals as the crucial independent variable. These investigations have identified three message-related characteristics and one psychophysiological factor that predict media choice: excitatory homeostasis, message-behavioral affinity, intervention potential, and hedonic valence.

Excitatory homeostasis refers to the notion that individuals prefer to experience a state of arousal that is neither over- nor understimulating. Thus, in the context of the theory, it is assumed that over-stimulated individuals will arrange their environments so as to decrease their level of arousal, whereas individuals who are understimulated will do the opposite. By unobtrusively recording the television programs preferred by bored or stressed study participants, Jennings Bryant and Dolf Zillmann observed this tendency to seek out excitatory homeostasis in a carefully controlled experiment. In that study, they found that bored participants selected arousing media content and avoided relaxing fare when given the opportunity to do so. Conversely, participants who were manipulated to feel stressed opted to view relaxing programs for longer periods of time than bored individuals did.

The second key predictor of selective exposure to entertainment media is message-behavioral affinity. This variable refers to the degree of similarity between communication content and affective state. A seminal study by Dolf Zillmann, Richard Hezel, and Norman Medoff tested the hypothesis that mood would dictate preferences for situation comedies, game shows, and action dramas on television. To a large degree their predictions were supported, with one notable exception. Unexpectedly, participants who were placed in a bad mood did not opt for situation comedies, as predicted; they avoided such content. Subsequent analyses and follow-up studies showed that this behavior can be attributed to a motivation to avoid media content that is similar or related to a person's negative emotional state. Thus, study participants who were insulted tended to avoid situation comedies that featured put-downs and other insults. Therefore, the theory assumes that individuals experiencing negative mood states will prefer messages with little behavioral affinity, whereas individuals in positive moods will tend to prefer messages with high behavioral affinity.

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