Arousal and affective responses to writing styles

Although arousal measures have been employed to predict responses to television programs and music, they have not been used previously to evaluate print media. In this study, skin conductance response (SCR) and a mood scale were used to measure physiological and affective responses to three factors of newswriting style: narrative vs. traditional; direct quotations vs. paraphrased statements; and active vs. passive verbs and adjectives. News stories about the mass suicides in Guyana were used as stimulus materials. Narrative style generated the strongest SCR responses. Narrative style, direct quotations, and active verbs and adjectives interacted to produce the most positive affective responses. The study raises a number of questions about the nature of responses to reading.