A body of previous research has indicated that in times of crisis and extreme duress, individuals engage in information seeking, consistent with the axioms of Uncertainty Reduction Theory. Using an experimental procedure, the current study extends previous research about telepresence and information seeking concerning crises. Participants first viewed a news story about Hurricane Katrina. Following the viewing, respondents indicated the level of presence they experienced and whether they wanted to seek additional information. Results indicate that the experience of presence is strongly associated with the desire to seek further information. These results are discussed both in terms of implications for crisis message practitioners and other industries, and also in terms of their support for past research linking presence with cognitive processing.
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