Communicating Science Effectively: When an Optimized Video Communication Enhances Comprehension, Pleasantness, and People's Interest in Knowing More About Scientific Findings

In two experiments (N = 160) we predicted and found that anoptimisedvideo science communication was more effective than either apress releasescience communication (Experiment 1) and anon-optimisedvideo science communication (Experiment 2) in promoting (a) a bettercomprehensionof the communication, (b) a higher perceivedpleasantness, and (c) a stronger manifest interest in learning more about its findings, as reflected in participants' explicit requests to receive supplemental material on the communicated and analogous findings. The results were consistent across experiments. They were also not influenced by the content type of the communication. Implications for communication professionals and future research in the field of media, social influence, education, and applied social psychology are discussed.