Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025
06:45
Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos
Published on: May 29, 2020
4.2K
Reading dies in complexity: Online news consumers prefer simple writing
Hillary C Shulman1, David M Markowitz2, Todd Rogers3
1School of Communication, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Science Advances
|June 5, 2024
Summary
Readers prefer simpler news headlines. Studies show simpler headlines increase reader attention and comprehension, unlike complex ones. This suggests a simpler writing heuristic guides general audiences.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Media Studies
- Linguistics
Background:
- Online news consumption is rapidly growing.
- News headlines compete for reader attention in a crowded digital space.
- Understanding headline effectiveness is crucial for news organizations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate reader preferences for headline complexity.
- To determine the cognitive processing of simple versus complex headlines.
- To explore differences in headline processing between the general public and professional writers.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of over 30,000 field experiments with The Washington Post and Upworthy.
- Signal detection study to assess reader attention and processing depth.
- Comparison of headline processing between general readers and professional writers.
Main Results:
- Readers overwhelmingly preferred simpler headlines over complex ones.
- General public readers paid more attention to and processed simpler headlines more deeply.
- Professional writers did not exhibit the same preference for simpler headlines, indicating different processing patterns.
Conclusions:
- A simpler writing heuristic guides general readers' attention towards more accessible headlines.
- News organizations can improve reader engagement by simplifying headline language.
- Bridging the gap between news writers' and readers' processing styles is key for effective online communication.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Guidelines for Writing Outcome
2.8K
When developing expected outcomes for a patient care plan, the nurse should adhere to the following recommendations:
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care...
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care...
2.8K
01:03Communication
7.7K
Communication between two animals occurs when one animal transmits an information signal that causes a change in the animal that receives the information. Organisms communicate with one another in a host of different ways. Signals can be auditory, chemical, visual, tactile, or a combination of these. Communication is a critical behavioral adaptation that promotes survival, growth, and reproduction.
7.7K
02:20Routes of Persuasion
64.0K
Persuasion is the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication. Much of the persuasion we experience comes from outside forces. How do people convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? What communications do you receive that attempt to persuade you to change your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors?
64.0K
02:11Reporter Genes
11.3K
Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
11.3K
01:33Atomic Structure
192.1K
Overview
192.1K
01:52Persuasion Strategies
38.6K
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
38.6K