Political news, emotions, and opinion formation. Toward a model of emotional framing effects

Explanations of the impact of news frames have primarily focused on cognitive processes such as acces-sibility and applicability effects. However, several recent studies have found that frames also influence information processing and opinion formation by eliciting emotions. The present paper outlines a fram-ing model that incorporates and integrates cognitive and emotional processes. In the model, news frames produce emotional effects on information processing and opinion formation through a three-step process: first, news frames make certain cognitive appraisals more accessible and/or applicable; second, news frames that trigger specific appraisal patterns make certain emotional responses more likely; and finally, frame-induced emotions prompt emotion-congruent information processing and opinion formation. The implications of the model and directions for future research are discussed.