Dean E. Hewes

Can one TV show make a difference? Will & Grace and the parasocial contact hypothesis

Abstract Television has an opportunity to influence beliefs about groups with which individuals typically may have little direct social contact. This study describes a synthesis of the Contact Hypothesis and the concept of Parasocial Interaction to pose what we call the Parasocial Contact Hypothesis to test whether exposure to gay men on Will & Grace can influence attitudes toward gay men in general. Based on a study of 245 university students, this study examines the relationships among number and intimacy of gay social contacts, parasocial interaction, viewing frequency of Will & Grace, and scores on Hereks Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians scale. Increased viewing frequency and parasocial interaction were found to correlate with lower levels of sexual prejudice-a relationship that was most pronounced for those with the least amount of social contact with lesbians and gay men.

The Sequential Analysis of Social Interaction.

Scientific analysis of any phenomenon is likely to suffer when the assumptions of methodology too rigidily restrict theory testing. This problem has arisen in the sequential analysis of social interaction. The assumptions explored center on three aspects of process—coding schemes, the nature of time, and the quality of explanations engendered by sequential analysis methodologies.

Second-guessing theory: Review and extension

Messages are often biased. Whether these messages are produced by acquaintances, coworkers, governments, or the mass media, social actors believe they can identify biases in them. Not only do they feel they can identify distortions, but they also believe they can correct those distortions, arriving at a more accurate understanding of the messages’ referents than if they relied on the messages unreflectively. Hewes and Planalp (1982) called this process of correcting for biases “second-guessing.” This chapter describes this process and its implications for communication theory. In addition, it presents a theory of second-guessing that specifies its antecedents and consequences. Included is a review of the relevant literature, suggesting facets of the theory that need further testing and new areas of application.

Analyzing Social Interaction: Some Excruciating Models and Exhilarating Results

Considerable controversy exists among alternative approaches to the analysis of social interaction. Part of this controversy is due to the use of overly simple, inflexible, and imprecise models. Th...

Three theories of egocentric speech: A contrastive analysis

Three theories of egocentric speech are contrasted. Alternative predictions of the same phenomenon by the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky and a prototheoretical position associated with Mead, Flavell and Wilder are subjected to empirical evaluation. The Mead‐Flavell‐Wilder prototheory proved to be the most predictive. Weaknesses in its explanatory power are explored. Some assumptions remain to be tested before the contrast is complete.

Levels of Measurement Problem in Communication Research A Review, Critique, and Partial Solution

This paper presents an investigation into an important scaling issue: the problem caused by the use of ordinal data in statistical procedures requiring at least interval-level data. Four elements of this problem are presented. First, a sketch of the various approaches to this problem is presented Second the pragmatic and theoretical consequences of violating interval assumptions are outlined. Third evidence is provided which suggests that violations of interval assumptions are widespread in social science research. Finally, a partial solution and two alternative routes to implementation are discussed

Process Models for Sequential, Cross-Sectional Survey Data

Mass media research has been inhibited by the lack of process methodologies which do not require panel data. This paper presents three alternative methods for generating predictions from survey-accessible phenomena which meet the requirements mentioned above. These techniques are applied to real data. The relative presumptions and merits of each are assessed

Some recent contributions to communication research methodology

Books reviewed TIME SERIES ANALYSIS: REGRESSION TECHNIQUES. By Charles W. Ostrom, Jr. Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 07–009. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1978; pp. 85.

The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis

3.00. ANALYSIS OF NOMINAL DATA. By H. T. Reynolds. Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 07–007. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1977; pp. 82.

Coding social interaction

3.00. CANONICAL ANALYSIS AND FACTOR COMPARISON. By Mark S. Levine. Sage University Paper series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 07–006. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1977; pp. 62.