Cynthia A. Hoffner

Young Adults' Wishful Identification With Television Characters: The Role of Perceived Similarity and Character Attributes

In this study, 208 young adults completed questionnaires measuring their perceptions of and responses to their favorite fictional television characters, both male and female. Measures included perceived attitude similarity, perceived character attributes (smart, successful, attractive, funny, violent, admired), and wishful identification with the characters. Wishful identification was defined as the desire to be like or act like the character. Respondents reported greater wishful identification with same-gender characters and with characters who seemed more similar in attitudes. Both men and women identified more strongly with successful and admired characters of the other gender, but they differed in the attributes that predicted their wishful identification with same-gender characters. Men identified with male characters whom they perceived as successful, intelligent, and violent, whereas women identified with female characters whom they perceived as successful, intelligent, attractive, and admired. Humor was the only attribute that was not related to wishful identification. Interpretations of the findings, and implications for understanding the social impact of television, are discussed.

Adolescents’ Conceptions of Work: What Is Learned From Different Sources During Anticipatory Socialization?

Anticipatory socialization is the process of gaining knowledge about work that begins in early childhood and continues until entering the workplace full-time. On self-administered questionnaires, 64 high school students answered open-ended questions about what they have learned about work from five sources: parents, educational institutions, part-time employment, friends, and the mass media. Responses were coded into four macro categories (general requirements of a job, positive aspects of work, negative aspects of work, advice or information about work/jobs), each of which included multiple subcategories. Parents, school, and part-time jobs were respondents’ main sources of knowledge about the requirements of performing a job, and parents provided the most advice about jobs and careers. Parents and friends communicated more negative than positive aspects, part-time jobs and the mass media conveyed both positives and negatives, and educational experiences conveyed neither. Interpretations of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

TV characters at work: Television's role in the occupational aspirations of economically disadvantaged youths

Television regularly depicts work-related activities of fictional characters and is one of several important sources of occupational information for young people. However, no research appears to have examined the influence of televised occupational portrayals on economically disadvantaged youths, although television may be an especially important source of work-related information for this group. In telephone interviews, 132 economically disadvantaged young people named their favorite television character and the character’s job and rated their perceptions of this career and their wishful identification with the character. They also identified the job they would most like to have. Results show that the income and education levels of respondents’dream jobs are positively correlated with these attributes of the characters’ jobs. Wishful identification is higher for characters whose jobs had higher income, required more education, were seen as more realistic, and were perceived as having greater extrinsic values (e.g., benefits, respect).

Young Adults' Responses to News About Sunscreen and Skin Cancer: The Role of Framing and Social Comparison

Young adults read a news article about skin cancer that used a gain frame (e.g., using sunscreen keeps skin healthy) or a loss frame (e.g., not using sunscreen increases skin cancer risk), and included a personal exemplar (healthy or ill). Compared to a control group, both frames increased intentions to use sunscreen. Planned SPF was higher for men in the loss frame but was unaffected by framing for women. The framing manipulation had opposite effects on sun protection behaviors among individuals who were high versus low in perceived similarity to the exemplar. Overall, the gain frame was more effective for people who were high in similarity, whereas the loss frame was more effective for those low in similarity. In addition, individuals who felt more similar to the exemplar reported more personal risk in the loss frame but stronger intentions to use sun protection behaviors in the gain frame. Last, social comparison orientation was associated with more personal risk in the gain frame (suggesting upward comparison) but lower intentions to engage in sun protection behaviors regardless of the frame. Interpretations of the findings and implications for the use of exemplars in health messages are discussed.

Gifts of giving: The role of empathy and perceived benefits to others and self in young adults’ decisions to become organ donors

Trait empathy and self-interest exert a strong influence on different prosocial behaviors, but their role in the promotion of organ donation registration is unclear. A survey examined how perceived benefits of organ donation for others and the self affect people’s willingness to register as donors. Perceived other-benefits did not predict registration. Those with lower risk and greater self-benefit perceptions were more willing to donate. Empathic concern predicted donation willingness and moderated the effect of other-benefit perceptions, such that other-benefit perceptions predicted donation willingness among those with greater empathic concern. Applications of these findings to organ donation promotion are discussed.

Why We Watch: Factors Affecting Exposure to Tragic Television News

This study explored the reasons people expose themselves to news depicting tragic events. A total of 376 undergraduates completed anonymous questionnaires about their responses to news coverage of the events of September 11. The study examined the extent to which individual differences in empathy gave rise to news viewing motives (surveillance, reassurance, curiosity), and how these variables, as well as negative emotional responses (anger, sadness, fear), were related to news interest and exposure. Both empathy and emotional responses were associated in predictable ways with interest in news coverage and selective exposure to specific types of news stories (e.g., casualty news, positive news). The results demonstrate that considering affective motivations can enrich our understanding of how and why people use news media. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Diffusion of News of the Shuttle Columbia Disaster: The Role of Emotional Responses and Motives for Interpersonal Communication

This study examined the role of emotion in the process of news diffusion following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Respondents reported both sadness and anger, but sadness was the predominant emotional response. Early learners reported more sadness, but emotional response was unrelated to the initial source of the news. Regarding interpersonal news diffusion, individuals who reported more sadness were more likely to pass the news on to others and spent more time discussing the event. Anger was associated with contacting a greater number of people. Individuals who contacted more people and spent more time in discussion reported stronger emotional (but not informational) motives for talking with others, and were more likely to say that they felt better after interpersonal contact. Overall, the findings suggest that interpersonal news diffusion and discussion function, in part, as ways to cope with emotional responses to news coverage.

Mobile Phone Use, Emotion Regulation, and Well-Being

This study examined the use of mobile phones to regulate negative emotions, considering both the role of different aspects of phone use and individual differences in emotion regulation strategies. A total of 287 young adult smartphone users completed an online survey that addressed use of mobile phones for negative emotion regulation. They responded to a phone loss scenario by rating how much they would miss various uses/functions of the phone (which could be involved in emotion regulation). Habitual use of reappraisal to regulate emotion was associated with missing both interpersonal contact and social support, but not access to entertainment/information. In contrast, habitual use of emotion suppression was associated only with missing entertainment/information content. Regulating negative emotions via mobile phone was associated with missing all three uses/functions of the phone, but perception that the phone was effective in remediating negative emotion was associated only with missing social support. Well-being was related to greater use and perceived effectiveness of the mobile phone for emotion regulation. Overall, this study demonstrates that mobile phones can yield psychological benefits, depending on how they are used. Findings suggest that using the phone for social support is most likely to lead to effective remediation of negative emotion. Interpretations and implications of the findings are discussed.

Affective Responses and Exposure to Frightening Films: The Role of Empathy and Different Types of Content

Young adults (N = 172) completed questionnaires that measured empathy, affective responses and exposure to frightening films, and perceptions of how aspects of scary content (suffering, danger, excitement, and a happy ending) affect enjoyment. Empathic concern was associated with less enjoyment of suffering, but more enjoyment of danger, excitement, and happy endings. Enduring negative affect was associated with higher personal distress and less enjoyment of suffering. Exposure to frightening films was associated with lower personal distress, more enjoyment of danger, and less enjoyment of happy endings. Interpretations of the findings are discussed.

Portrayal of Mental Illness on the TV Series Monk: Presumed Influence and Consequences of Exposure

This study of responses to the TV series Monk, about a detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder, examines perceptions and behaviors related to mental illness. A total of 172 respondents completed an online survey. A parasocial bond with Monk was associated with lower stereotypes of mental illness and less social distance. Predictors and outcomes of perceived influence of the series on self and others were also examined. Perceived (positive) influence of the series on others’ attitudes was predicted by respondents’ favorable evaluation of the series’s depiction of mental illness, as well as greater perceived exposure to and favorable evaluations among family and friends. Perceived influence on others also was associated with greater willingness to disclose mental health treatment, but only among people without personal or family experience with mental illness. In contrast, perceived influence of the series on self was predicted only by respondents’ own evaluations of the series, and was related to willingness to seek mental health treatment—but only among those who had personally dealt with mental illness.