Extending our theoretical maps: Psychology of agendasetting

Two aspects of the psychology of agenda-setting are discussed, the social psychology of academic research and contemporary research extending our theoretical knowledge about the psychology of the agenda-setting process. To counter academic conservatism regarding new applications of agenda-setting theory, distinctions are made between concepts, domains and settings. A major trend in contemporary research on the psychology of agenda-setting is the explication of the theory’s basic concepts. Th is research includes the impact of incidental learning and the visual content in TV news on fi rst-level and second-level agenda-setting effects, respectively, an expanded set of measures for the concept of need for orientation, and the consequences of agenda-setting eff ects for the formation of opinions and both priming and attribute priming of the aff ective dimension of opinions.