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The effects of leading questions on opinion of news media
Miller, Braeden
Miller, Braeden
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BraedenMillerPoster.pdf
Adobe PDF, 341.75 KB
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BMillerAbstract.pdf
Adobe PDF, 99.24 KB
Authors
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Location
Time Period
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Original Date
Digitization Date
Issue Date
2025
Type
Abstract
Poster
Poster
Genre
Keywords
Leading question,News media,Journalism
Subjects (LCSH)
Citation
Miller, B., & Menon, M. The effects of leading questions on opinion of news media. -- FYRE in STEM Showcase, 2025.
Abstract
Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of leading questions on the memory of witnesses. A leading question is a question that influences its audience to respond in a certain way e.g. “The suspect was wearing red, wasn’t he?” Some research on the subject has demonstrated that leading questions can influence people’s opinions of minority groups, but this research seeks to address the lack of research in how leading questions can influence opinion of news media. To test this, we will give participants a pre-screening survey that measures their opinions on crime and healthcare on a seven-point Likert scale asking five questions about the subject. 1-3 days after completing the survey participants would receive the second half of the study via email. The second half consisted of participants reading 3 articles about the UnitedHealthcare assassination and answering a total of twelve questions (nine multiple choice three open ended) about the articles to develop their comprehension and opinion of the subject. Half the participants would receive three leading questions intended to make them sympathetic to the suspect of the UnitedHealthcare assassination. Afterwards, participants would answer the same Likert scale and any change in opinion would be recorded. Because this research is still in progress it is impossible to discuss the results. But the pre-screening survey has a sample size of N=5 female respondents and N=2 gender nonconforming respondents. Participants report that they are dissatisfied with the state of healthcare and tend to be sympathetic towards criminals with motives they relate to. They disagree about whether or not there is a circumstance in which murder is okay. We expect that participants who receive leading questions will be swayed more than the ones who don’t.
Table of Contents
Description
Poster and abstract presented at the FYRE in STEM Showcase, 2025.
Research project completed at the Department of English.
Research project completed at the Department of English.
Publisher
Wichita State University
Journal
Book Title
Series
FYRE in STEM 2025