Tentative Sources

 

Topic

Goal

Questions

Type

Method

The rhetoric of photojournalism on different personality types

Understand if there is a rhetorical effect on introverts vs extroverts in photojournalism

What photos are most empathetic?


Is there a greater effect on introverts vs extroverts?


Are certain people more willing to act based on photos?

Empirical

Literature review, mixed methods

The topic I will be going ahead with is the impact on news photography on introverts and extroverts. I want to see what photos affect introverts vs extroverts and if there’s a difference at all. To do this, I also want to delve into the rhetoric of photojournalism and what images evoke strong feelings with an audience and if they have any impact on their actions.

Tentative Resources:

Acevedo, B. P., Aron, E. N., Aron, A., Sangster, M. D., Collins, N., & Brown, L. L. (2014). The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others' emotions. Brain and behavior, 4(4), 580–594. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.242 

Kjeldsen, J. E. (2021). Visual Rhetoric and the Power of Imagery: A Brief Lesson in the Rhetorical Power of Images and the Need for phronesis and krisis in the Teaching of Visual Rhetoric: Visuality Design in and for Education. Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 6(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1163/23644583-bja10021

Kjeldsen, Jens & Andersen, Ida. (2017). The Rhetorical Power of News Photographs: A Triangulatory Reception Approach to the Alan Kurdi Images. 10.1007/978-3-319-61618-6_12.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321011386_The_Rhetorical_Power_of_News_Photographs_A_Triangulatory_Reception_Approach_to_the_Alan_Kurdi_Images 

Lucaites, J. L., & Hariman, R. (2001). Visual Rhetoric, Photojournalism, and Democratic Public Culture. Rhetoric Review, 20(1/2), 37–42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/466134 

McCrary, J. E. (2021). [Review of Changing the Subject: A Theory of Rhetorical Empathy, by L. Blankenship]. South Atlantic Review, 86(2), 80–84. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27109174 

Midberry, J., Brown, D. K., Potter, R. F., & Comfort, R. N. (2024). The Influence of Visual Frame Combinations in Solutions Journalism Stories. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 101(1), 230–252. https://doi-org.libproxy.utahtech.edu/10.1177/10776990221109235 

Rist, M. F. (2007). Visual Rhetoric and Viewer Empathy in News Photographs. CEA Forum, 36(2).https://research-ebsco-com.libproxy.utahtech.edu/c/5pbjd6/search/details/dh5hsief6n?limiters=FT1%3AY&q=visual+rhetoric+AND+empathy&searchMode=all 

 

Comments

  1. EthanSeptember 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM

    Hi Hailey,

    Pretty interesting angle you're examining this from! Must admit, I haven't thought of how news photos might affect different kinds of readers differently (i.e., introverts vs. extroverts), though why the choice to frame it this way or answer the question from that vantage point does escape me. That said, I certainly look forward to your analysis: after all, niche and unexpected topics can always teach us something.

    As your table notes, this is definitely territory for empirical research. Although it requires certain clearance and arrangements (and might not be necessary for your execution), one thing I'm picturing is human subjects being asked to peruse news articles and taking note of how they react or interact with the images. In addition to establishing categories, this would map out any correlation between introverts and extroverts and reactions to images (which would entail discerning a pattern or commonality of some sort).

    In any case, you seem to have a nice and pretty varied collection of sources that address different aspects of your topic instead of just one. The article about the fMRI study you're considering, while I've yet to read it in full, seems to cover the cognition and psychology behind it (which are foundational for mapping out human behavior to begin with), so I'm interested in how you'll synthesize that with rhetoric and technical communication in your findings.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Arya JenkinsSeptember 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM

    Hailey,
    I think you have a good thing going here with your topic and sources. The difference between extrovert and introvert reactions to visual rhetoric is a very interesting research focus. All the studies you found on visual rhetoric, sensory processing, and photographs will give you a strong base for your research. It could also be good to look into previous studies on the differences between extroverts and introverts to further support your research, although those studies might be further from the technical writing and digital rhetoric field. Here are just a few I found from a quick search, though they may be irrelevant to the specific focus of your research.

    Khairunnisa, S. R. (2021). Introvert vs. extrovert: Emotional differences and responses towards a provocative visual stimuli in social media. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(12). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i12/10989

    Abbasi, M., & Gidwani, S. (2022). Personality differences in thinking and feeling between introverts and extroverts. International Journal of Neurolinguistics & Gestalt Psychology, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.52522/ijngp.v1i3.1

    ReplyDelete
  3. florence08September 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. florence08September 5, 2025 at 2:58 PM

    Hi Hailey,

    Thanks for sharing your 2nd blog post and tentative sources! Your topic is very interesting and yes, please consider adding TWDR sources here to frame the problem within the discipline (e.g., play around with keywords, such as visual rhetoric, etc.). Kindly email me (florence.bacabac@utahtech.edu) soon for a quick Zoom meeting to help look for some TWDR journals for your annotated bib assignment, ok? Am here...

    Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

    Dr. B

    ReplyDelete

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