Congratulations to my PhD students Xiaodong Yang, Edmund Lee, and Agnes Chuah for their paper that is accepted for publication in Mass Communication & Society!

Paper Title: Extending The Cognitive Mediation Model: Examining Factors Associated With Perceived Familiarity and Factual Knowledge Of Nanotechnology

Authors: Xiaodong Yang, Edmund W. J. Lee,  Agnes S. F. Chuah, & Shirley S. Ho

Abstract: This research—a pilot study on the Cognitive Mediation Model (CMM) in Singapore—seeks to revisit and test the applicability of an extended CMM in the context of nanotechnology, by examining perceived familiarity as a separate outcome variable in addition to factual knowledge. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of 719 adult Singaporeans. Results demonstrated partial support for the hypothesized CMM. First, elaboration was positively associated with both factual knowledge and perceived familiarity, while interpersonal discussions about science was only associated with familiarity. Results also showed differential relationships between attention to media platforms (traditional vs. new media) and reflective integration (composed of elaborative processing and interpersonal discussion)—while attention to science reporting in newspapers and science television programs were associated with elaboration, media attention across all platforms were associated with interpersonal discussions. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.